Because of the contamination, the byproduct of 50 years of nuclear-weapons production, the government allows only occasional visitors here, and nobody younger than 18. Yet this unlikely structure, a crucible of the Manhattan Project, is now being promoted as a potential national landmark. The Energy Department, at the behest of Congress, is studying the feasibility of decontaminating and preserving B Reactor, and perhaps one day opening it to the public. The effort reflects the growing realization among government officials and preservationists that the remnants of the earliest days of the Atomic Age and the Cold War are in danger of disappearing. Many of the buildings are contaminated, and most have been off-limits for decades.
Nations traditionally make monuments of their grandest and most glorious places.
The campaign for B Reactor, which opened in 1944 under the supervision of the physicist Enrico Fermi, reflects a growing willingness to protect historic sites that evoke unpleasant and painful memories. In a report for the Energy Department, the council recently recommended designating eight Manhattan Project sites, including B Reactor, as national landmarks. Of these sites, only the B reactor, which made plutonium for the Nagasaki bomb, is being proposed for eventual year-round tourism. But not until now has the Energy Department taken a coordinated approach to preserving atomic sites. Keith A. Klein, manager of the Energy Department's Richland office said he thought it would be possible to make B Reactor safe for limited access by tourists by eliminating all traces of airborne contamination.