Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rushmore Air Force Station, Security Central Control Building, Quesada Drive, Blackhawk, Meade County, SD

This structure was demolished in 1996.

Significance: Constructed in 1952, the RAFS Security Central Control Building is significant for its association with American military policy during the Cold War years of the early 1950s. During this era, the United States embarked on a period of nuclear weaponry proliferation, fueled by post World War II diplomatic and military tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. These tensions resulted in the creation of thirteen nuclear weapons storage sites within the US, one of which is the Rushmore Air Force Station. These facilities were a central component of the US's nuclear weapons strategy to deter a Soviet attack against Western Europe or North America.

Survey number: HABS SD-21-E

Building/structure dates: 1951-1952 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1994 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1996 Demolished

administration buildings cold war surveillance military art and science blackhawk ellsworth ellsworth air force base rushmore rushmore air force station security central control security central control quesada drive quesada drive meade meade county air force south dakota kenneth l anderson donald s barbalace black and veatch office of the chief of engineers department of the army historic american buildings survey christiana jackson photo ultra high resolution high resolution usaf air force base building plans architectural diagrams architectural drawings library of congress

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html