The University of Washington (UW) in Seattle is a veritable treasure trove of Brutalist architecture, home to the spectacular Red Square and structures like Kane Hall and Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Alas, one of the most stunning examples of Brutalism on the campus no longer exists: More Hall Annex, better known as the Nuclear Reactor Building.
This beautiful structure had intrinsic worth that can never be replaced. But there is at least a silver lining in the form of a Washington State Supreme Court victory that can help to protect other buildings in the future from the same fate.
An Architectural Ode to the Atomic Age
Following World War II, there used to be an agency called the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Grants from the AEC allowed academic institutions like the University of Washington to purchase reactors. Indeed, UW launched its Department of Nuclear Engineering in 1956. A year later, they received the money they needed from the government to buy a 10 kW reactor, which itself received university board approval two years after that.
The Nuclear Reactor Building was home to UW’s reactor. Faculty architects Wendell Lovett, Gene Zema and Daniel Streissguth worked together to come up with the design for the Brutalist structure. Jentoft & Forbes constructed it.
The intent for the building was to make a statement while also offering functional benefits. Albert L. Babb, the chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, wanted it to “show the world what nuclear power looked like.”
While the heavy concrete sets an imposing tone, the glass windows around the base of the structure give it a contradictory lightness. One reason for the windows was practical. The department wanted passersby to be able to admire the reactor room from outside.
The Nuclear Program’s Decline at UW
The Atomic Age was not to last. From the 70s onward, interest in nuclear power waned. UW turned off its reactor in 1988, and converted the Nuclear Reactor Building into offices.
You may be wondering why UW changed the building’s name to “More Hall Annex.” It did so when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) asked it to following 9/11. The NRC was concerned about terrorism and theft. The new name gave the building a lower profile. Finally, in 2008, UW completely got rid of the reactor.
The Battle to Preserve the Nuclear Reactor Building
Even before the reactor was gone, UW discussed getting rid of the Nuclear Reactor Building. Through the efforts of preservationists, however, the structure was listed on both the Washington Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
These efforts slowed the university’s plans down, but did not stop them. By 2015, the building was once again in jeopardy. To try and halt its destruction, Docomomo US/WEWA submitted a nomination to make the structure a city landmark. UW’s response was to sue both the organization and the city.
Events at that point unfolded in quick succession. First, the King County Superior Court ruled in UW’s favor, stating that the landmarks-preservation ordinance of Seattle did not apply because the building was owned by the state. Seattle and Docomomo US/WEWA then took the matter to the Washington Supreme Court.
The good news was that the Supreme Court sided with Seattle and the preservationists. The bad news, however, was that the university had already proceeded to destroy the building.
So, the UW Nuclear Reactor Building is lost to us forever. But it cannot be understated what a significant victory the Washington Supreme Court Ruling was. It set a precedent. If there are conflicts in the future similar to this one, evoking state-owned property as a loophole in the landmarks-preservation ordinance of Seattle should no longer work. The ordinance will protect such structures. And that is all thanks to the hard work of the preservationists that fought to protect the UW Nuclear Reactor Building.
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