Mississippi Test Operations, Central Control Building, South side of Saturn Drive, facing Balch Boulevard, Gainesville, Hancock County, MS

Significance: The Central Control Building was the location for communications between all systems and structures for the static rocket test firings at the Mississippi Test Operations facility. The structure, with its iconic tower, was designed to inspire and educate visitors about the future of space exploration. It is unique in the modern detailing of the cantilever and tilted windows of the observation tower, and in its mission to exhibit and promote education in earth and atmospheric science. The building was designed to resist acoustic overpressure from blasts, in anticipation of the unknown conditions of future engine test firings. The tower was designed to house engineers and guests during rocket test firings, and was designed under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun, director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, with responsibility for the Mississippi Test Operations facility.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N2098

Survey number: HABS MS-289

Building/structure dates: 1965 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1976 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1983-1984 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1998-2000 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 2000 Subsequent Work

national space program space flight communication facilities towers visitors centers offices steel structural frames reinforced concrete construction cantilevers control rooms apollo program camps roll up doors concrete columns observation decks auditoriums education concrete foundations concrete block construction steel beams test stands gainesville american seating co allison anderson hannah anderson john m anderson inc architecture porcelain robert r arzola astrocamp becnel groetsch and co burton bros inc ch leavell and company nichole chauvin inc city steel co zac cordova jack l crawford inc ec ernst co easterling interiors general electric historic american buildings survey johnson controls world services marshall space flight center national aeronautics and space administration john c stennis space center national aeronautics and space center administration opelika concrete products james osborne pan am world services peter kiewit sons company virginia b price inc s and b infrastructure stennisphere r e sullivan inc engineers architects sverdrup and parcel and associates pllc unabridged architecture wernher von braun ware aluminum windows wood arts co photo mississippi test operations central control saturn drive balch boulevard hancock county mississippi building plans architectural diagrams library of congress

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/

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