The Twin Stars
The rapid construction of the Savannah River Plant was a monumental feat of planning and engineering, but it still had to start small. In its earliest days, exact layouts for the site were still being determined, towns were being cleared, and administration resided primarily in Augusta. During this period of change and tumult, temporary construction buildings helped to bridge the gap between the pre- and post- Savannah River Plant. For a brief time, these temporary structures were at the center of plant operations, particularly TC-1 and TC-2, and their now-iconic twin star designs.
Construction of the temporary facilities began on February 1, 1951, based on the design plans from the Augusta firm of Patchen and Zimmerman. Manufacturers Butler and Braden were also brought in to provide the premade steel buildings for the construction project, which would be assembled on-site. Their combined efforts resulted in the instantly identifiable TC-1 and TC-2, both featuring six wings, measured to be 50 by 300 feet, extending out from a central rotunda, which was approximately 60 feet in diameter, creating a star-like shape. Construction on these early site marvels concluded on May 28, 1951.
The same day construction finished; the Augusta offices closed, sending a wave of DuPont construction personnel, medical staff, and administration to the twin facilities. AEC personnel stationed in the area would also move from their Augusta offices, claiming the D and E wings of TC-1 on June 11, 1951. These early days in the lives of TC-1 and TC-2 were characterized by large, active workforces, and less than ideal working conditions for the office occupants.
Thousands of employees occupied the buildings, with TC-1 housing most of the administrative personnel and TC-2 acting as construction headquarters. Aside from construction, TC-2 also housed Central Medical and the Employment Division. Air conditioning was not introduced to the temporary structures until later in their lives, leading to stuffy and gnat laden offices. Fortunately, fans were installed not too long after the buildings became occupied, and while they helped to regulate temperature, they were installed at a height of five to six feet, causing papers to be blown off desks.
While TC-1 and TC-2 were at the center of site activities in 1951, it would be a short stay at the top. By 1952, the construction of permanent buildings shifted employees to new facilities that provided them with much better amenities, namely space and air-conditioning. The Employment Division had left TC-2 before its new building was completed due to its rapid growth, taking over the Ellenton School building in April 1952. The Employment Division would move back on-site in October of that year, into 719-A. Central Medical had also far outgrown TC-2. With a ballooning workforce, keeping the medical facility isolated to a single wing in a temporary structure was not feasible, and they would also find themselves relocated to 719-A. While the Engineering and Construction Division occupied the TC buildings for longer, they eventually left for the larger 703-A on May 8, 1954.
This would not be the end of the TC buildings usefulness to the site, however. In 1954, DuPont, the AEC, and the Army were actively discussing where new anti-aircraft installations could be placed on-site. These would be a series of 75mm and 90mm guns sites, that required ample space and supporting facilities. TC-2 would be chosen as the Army headquarters, and DuPont immediately began renovations so TC-2 could properly accommodate up to 650 working men and 1500 diners in the mess hall by July 1955. In early May, Army personnel began moving equipment onto site and into the newly outfitted TC-2, and by July, TC-2 had been fully assimilated into 33rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, hosting 500 enlisted men and 27 officers.
Unfortunately, the fanfare of this new military operation was cut short by the continued advances in technology that rendered the freshly installed guns almost instantly obsolete. This led to an Army installation on SRP that had very little to do, often only fighting boredom and mosquitoes. The most exciting moment in the Army’s stay on SRP came in the very beginning, on August 19, 1955, with the birth of a child. The suddenness of Sgt. Joseph W. Mosely wife’s labor brought them to the Army medical station in TC-2, where a healthy baby boy was born and was given the name Joseph W. Mosely Jr. This was the first and only instance of a child being born on site property.
Due to years of relative idleness, the Army decided to vacate SRP in 1959, just four years after arriving in TC-2. By 1960, all military personnel had left site, leaving TC-2 empty once again. This time, the temporary building would not find new life, and was boarded up and abandoned until January 1961, when it was torn down. While TC-2 had lost its place on site, pieces of it were separated and maintained by other parties. The AEC acquired two wings, which were taken by their Albuquerque Operations Office and moved to Las Vegas. The Rotunda and two more wings were approved to be transferred to the South Carolina State Forestry Commission, where they still stand to this day and are used for storage. TC-1 remained standing quite a bit longer, as it continued to act as additional office space in B-area. It would be demolished in 1997 after decades of relative obscurity.
Despite being named Temporary Construction buildings, TC-1 and TC-2 lasted well into the sites’ golden age and beyond. While their impact waned over their lifespan, they were consistently repurposed and provided utility years beyond what they were originally intended. These were temporary buildings, but they managed to have a lasting impact on the history of the site.
