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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

DOE Wins Award for Manhattan Project Preservation

The B Reactor at Hanford

Tuesday, May 13, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) presented the Chairman’s Award for Federal Achievement in Historic Preservation to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its exemplary efforts to preserve, interpret, and share sites and history related to the Manhattan Project.

The award went to the DOE for its efforts to preserve and make appropriately accessible six of the eight Signature Facilities relating to the Manhattan Project. The Atomic Heritage Foundation was also commended for its efforts in the same area.
“There is no doubt that World War II was one of the key events not only of the 20th century, but of human history. The story of the Manhattan Project is absolutely essential to understanding that event,” Nau said.

Accepting the award on behalf of DOE were Ingrid Kolb, director of the Office of Management, and Skip Gosling, chief historian and federal preservation officer. 

The Signature Facilities under DOE’s stewardship are located at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The State Historic Preservation Offices of those three states received partnership certificates for their vital roles in the preservation and interpretation of these sites. Also receiving a partnership certificate was the National Park Service for its preservation work and expertise on the Signature Facilities and its partnership toward creation of the proposed Manhattan Project National Historic Park.