Charlottesville Building, 1966

On 20 December 1965, NRAO took occupancy of the Edgemont Road building in Charlottesville. This photo from 15 January 1966, taken by the construction contractor, R.E. Lee, shows the building at the point that NRAO staff were beginning to move in, bare of landscaping and without the "Jeffersonian" columns that were added during the 2004-2005 building expansion. The RFP for the building was issued in September of 1964, and the construction contract was awarded on 2 November 1964. From awarding of contract to occupancy: 413 days. This may be a record for groundbreaking to completion of an NRAO construction project, beating out the 18 months each for the 85 foot and the 300 foot. The earliest documents in the Archives related to the planning for the building in Charlottesville are dated spring of 1963. NRAO took possession of the Charlottesville building just two months after the 140 foot dedication, and thus the planning for the move began while NRAO was still struggling to resolve difficulties with the 140 foot construction. The building is on the University of Virginia grounds, and the University named the building Stone Hall. Long-time Administrative Assistant to the Director Phyllis Jackson is known to have received interoffice mail addressed to "Stone Hall Jackson."

Records of the NRAO

Still Image

EdgemontBldg-15jan1966-RELeePhoto.jpg

1966-01-15

Charlottesville VA Operations Series

Charlottesville Site Selection, Procurement, and Development Unit