Loring Air Force Base, Weapons Storage Area, Northeastern corner of base at northern end of Maine Road, Limestone, Aroostook County, ME

Significance: The Weapons Storage Area (WSA) stands as the first operational storage site constructed for the storage of atomic weapons under control of Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Cold War, and has been cited as having the highest storage capacity in all of SAC. The WSA is an early example of an operational storage facility and weapons distribution site. Its remote location and integration into the landscape, its association with an established Air Force base, its use of heavily reinforced concrete construction, its integration of maximum security measures, and its integration of storage, maintenance, and administrative functions all reflect its advanced design and functional capability. The number of extant structures and the few alterations to those structures give the area a high degree of architectural and historical integrity. The WSA continues to reflect its Cold War character.
Survey number: HAER ME-64-D
Building/structure dates: 1952-1988 Initial Construction