DOE/RL-97-56

Treatment Options

In their report Balancing Historic Preservation Needs with the Operations of Highly Technical or Scientific Facilities submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives, the ACHP concluded that communication among preservationists should:

...aim (to establish) a consensus about what kinds of facilities and objects should be physically preserved for the future. This would include deciding how the historic value of facilities and objects should be determined, and which of these could be "preserved" through documentation (ACHP 1991a, p. xi]).

This section presents a range of potential treatment measures which could be applied to the representative sample of Manhattan Project and Cold War Era buildings and structures selected for mitigation. Discussions are drawn from Archeology and Historic Preservation: Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines (NPS 1983).

Historic American Engineering Record

The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation consists of measured drawings, perspective-corrected photographs, and a written narrative. It provides a detailed and comprehensive record of the property's significance. HAER documentation must meet the requirements established by the National Park Service. Those requirements include:

Drawings	a full set of measured drawings depicting existing or historic conditions; or select existing drawings photographed with large-format negatives
Photographs	photographs with large-format negatives of exterior and interior views; photocopies with large format negatives of historic views where available
Written Data	history and description

The level of documentation appropriate for a specific building or structure is determined by the National Park Service. The documentation must reflect all events, features, and values that qualify the property for listing in the National Register. The historic account must be printed on acid free paper. Photographs and negatives must be archivally processed and printed on non- resin-coated paper and safety film, respectively. All materials must be specifically prepared for durability over a 500 year period. Completed HAER documents are filed with the Library of Congress (NPS 1983, pp. 44730-44734).

Historical Documentation

Historical documentation, like HAER documentation, will provide "a detailed record of the significance of a property for research and interpretive purposes and for conservation of information in cases of threatened property destruction" (NPS 1983, p. 44728). However, unlike HAER documentation, requirements are negotiated between the Federal agency and the SHPO. In this sense, historical documentation offers greater flexibility in meeting specific preservation objectives.

[Historical] Documentation is a detailed record, in the form of a report or other written document, of the historic context(s) and significance of a property. Historical research to create documentation uses archival materials, oral history techniques, ethnohistories, prior research contained in secondary sources and other sources to make a detailed record of previously identified values or to investigate particular questions about the established significance of a property or properties...Documentation generally results in both greater factual knowledge about the specific property and its values, and in better understanding of the property in its historical context (NPS 1983, p. 44729).

Retention in Place

Treatment options discussed thus far entail the production of building-specific historical reports and the photo documentation of important elements as they existed historically or as they exist today. All forms of documentation result in the preservation of the information content of the affected resource. However, the resource itself is often not preserved. The preferred options in historic preservation are to avoid impacting resources and to maintain properties in place:

Is it enough to see an interpretive display about the development of the atomic bomb? Would the opportunity to view an actual 1950s nuclear reactor control room or the work spaces where Fat Man and Little Boy were assembled enhance public understanding of this complicated period of American history? (ACHP 1991a, p. 24)

The decision to retain a facility in place must be based on an explicit understanding of what its preservation will accomplish. The decision must also be tempered by the long-term commitment of resources required to maintain that facility in a safe condition, particularly if the facility will be open to the public. In addition to funding, other factors working against preservation in place include required removal under environmental regulations, radiological/chemical contamination, structural disintegration, limited or no educational/interpretive value, and apathy. Nonetheless, because of the national and international significance of the Hanford Site, certain properties should be left in place as illustrations of the scope and scale of the various missions performed here in support of national security and the development of the atomic energy program.

Adaptive Use

DOE-RL, in consultation with the public, will determine which contributing buildings and structures will be retained for adaptive use as interpretive centers, museums, industrial or manufacturing facilities, or other private enterprises. These decisions will be made in accordance with the public involvement procedures discussed below.

Public Interpretation

As scholarly and public interest in the Manhattan Project and Cold War Era continues to grow, attention to the Hanford Site's contribution to the greater Cold War effort will increase. Information of interest to researchers and the public will include topics such as the history of the Hanford Site, nuclear technological systems and accomplishments, environmental issues, and social and cultural aspects of life at the Hanford Site. The types of data sources that contain information pertinent to these topics are described below:

Documents such as Technical Reports, Annual Reports, Public Relations Flyers - Collections of documents exist across the site, although none (beyond those collected by individual researchers) have been assembled with historic preservation in mind.

Photographs, Drawings, and Maps - Thousands of photographs, engineering drawings and maps from 1943 to the present exist in various repositories across the site, but no sitewide effort has ever been undertaken to assemble them into one collection for the purposes of historic preservation.

Objects (in other words, Tools, Instruments, Machinery, Clothing) and Scale Models of Processes - Many objects from the Manhattan Project and Cold War Era exist on the site. Some have been collected; many others are still scattered across the site making them susceptible to being thrown away during moves and routine housecleaning. The identification, collection, and preservation of significant objects relating to the Hanford Site's history is a key component of any public interpretation initiative.

Oral Histories from Individuals Associated with the Hanford Site - Some oral historical information has been compiled and presented in various formats (for example, Hanford and the Bomb by S. L. Sanger, and Nuclear Culture by Paul Loeb). The systematic collection of oral historic data from long-term Hanford employees, such as that currently being conducted by the B Reactor Museum Association, would provide information on worker life and social history not available in written sources on process history and operations.

Site Visitation

For nearly 50 years, the history of the Manhattan Project and Hanford's role in the Cold War have been largely invisible. For national security reasons, the role of the facilities was classified and the public was deliberately kept in the dark about what was going on behind the fences. With the end of the Cold War, this history no longer needs to be kept secret. In recognition of the international significance of events that occurred on an isolated stretch of the Columbia River in central Washington, DOE-RL is conducting this 4-year project to document the history of the Hanford Site. Through this project, the role these facilities played in winning a war and establishing world peace, together with the perspective of the workers who staffed them, will be captured in a comprehensive report, historic photographs, oral histories, and interpretive displays. No greater tribute can be offered to this workforce than to acknowledge what they did.

Nevertheless, documentation of Hanford's mission only symbolically removes the fences. Heritage tourism would allow members of the local and global communities to literally walk behind the fences and experience the facilities first-hand. While it is not within the scope of this Treatment Plan to detail how site visitation would be accomplished or how visitors would be accommodated, it is appropriate both to advance the concept and to work towards the identification of buildings and infrastructure that would allow for it.