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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Hanford B Reactor Voted National Historic Landmark

The B Reactor at Hanford

Update: The B Reactor is now officially a National Historic Landmark!  U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett and U.S. Department of Energy Acting Deputy Secretary Jeffrey F. Kupfer announced the good news at the B reactor.  Preservation Magazine has an excellent article up about the fight to save the B Reactor.

The Atomic Heritage Foundation is very pleased with the National Park Service’s recent decision that recognizes the B Reactor as one of America’s most significant historic properties. On July 21, 2008, the National Park System Advisory Board voted unanimously to nominate the Hanford B Reactor, the world’s first large-scale plutonium production reactor, for National Historic Landmark status. Although the United States has more than 80,000 registered historic places, fewer than 2,500 are National Historic Landmarks. As a National Historic Landmark, the Hanford B Reactor would join Mount Rushmore and the United States Capital building as a symbol of America’s history. 

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) called the decision “a great step towards preserving both the B Reactor and an important chapter of our nation’s history.” With the board’s approval, the final decision on the B Reactor’s status will be made by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.