Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rushmore Air Force Station, Steam Plant Building, Menoher Road & Dyess Street, Blackhawk, Meade County, SD

This structure was demolished in 1996.
Significance: The Rushmore Air Force Station Steam Plant 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 United States 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-C
Building/structure dates: 1952 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1996 Demolished