greenbrier bunker tour brochure (1998)

8/7/2019 Greenbrier Bunker Tour Brochure (1998)

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A BRIEF I-USTORYThe form er G overnm enr Re location Facility w as atop secre t of the Cold W ar (code nam e: G reek Island)designed to accommodate both m e u . s . Senate andHouse of Representatives in he event of nuclear war .. .Planned by the Eisenhow er Adm inis tration , inG O perat icn with th e leade rsh ip of th e U nited State sCongres , the lacili r y was built under The Greenbrierbe tw een 1958 and 1961. ince j ts comple tion , it w asm aintained in a s tate of constant readiness by a sm allcadre of gove rnm ent employees w orking as ForsytheAssociates .During th e life of m e faciliry , continual updating ofcommunicat ions gear and oth e r equipment andrecycling of supplies w as effected, so m ar the facilityw as alw ays in a current fu ll-operadon s tatus .The secrecy of its locarion paramount to the facility 'se ffectiveness , w as m aintained for more than 30 yearsuntil M ay 31, 1992 w hen th e Wash ington Postpublished a Story e ffe ctiv ely e xp osin g it,T he day afte r th e story w as publish ed, th e facilirybegan to be ph ased out , a procedure that w as finalizedin july 1995 with rhe termination of th e lease betweenme Gove rnrne nr and The Greenbrier .During [he pha e-out period, alm ost all of w eequipm ent and furn ish ings w ere removed from m eshelter and re assigne d to government facil ir ies aroundth e coun try , T he dining hall and kitchen, along withth e power p lan t, b rie fing room, Governor's H all andth e Mountaineer Room, are virtually untouchedoriginal areas. O ne full dorm itory and lounge, theleadersh ip quarte rs , m edical and dental in firm ary andvaulted re cords storage room have all been restoredto give vis itors an accurate representation ofw hat th eoriginal areas w ere like prior to be ing phased out.


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GENERAL DESCRIPTIONThe form er Governm ent Re location Facility is ap ro te cte d s ub stru ctu re (b un ke r) b urie d 7 20 fe et intoth e h illsid e un der T he W est V irg inia Wing of thehotel. It is surrou nded by ceiling and w alls rh ar ar ethree- to A ve-feet th ick reinfo rced co ncrete , I na dd itio n , t he re is 20 to 60 feet of din c ov er b etw e e nthe sub crucrure and m e W est V irgin ia W ing.T he facility h as fo ur entrances, e ac h p ro te cte d by ala rg e s te el a nd c on cr ete d oo r d es ig ne d to w ith stand amode st nucl ea r b la st approximat el y 15-30 m i l e s away ,and c o p re ve nt r ad io ac tiv e fa llo ut F rom e nre nn g t h efacility when ir is s ea le d off.

A ty pi ca l d or m ito ryT he W e st E ntran ce b last d oo r w e ig hs a pp ro xim ate ly25 tons and is 12 fee t w ide, 10 feet h igh and 18 inchesth ic k. T h e tW O h inges are 4 feet long, ] 4 inche w ideand 8 inch es th ick . T he six openings above m e blastd oor a re a pe ra ru re s Cut th ro ug h fiv e fe et o f c on cre te ,covered b y a 1 6-in ch ste el p late w h ich co uld b e d ose dd uri n g o pe ra tin g c on di tio ns , P as si ng th ro ug h me b la stdoor, one travels dow n [he W est Entrance Tunnel(4 33 fe et lo ng ) an d e nte rs th e facility p ro pe r th ro ug hone of tW O sim ilar d ec on tam in atio n are as. In activ eo pe ratio n o f th e fac ility , p ers on s e nte rin g th ese a re asw ould h ave disp osed of th eir cloth es, sh ow ered, an dw ould be issued new cloth ing prior to entering them ain p art o f th e facility .

Th e Exh ib it H a l lBoth th e W est and E ast (E xh ibit Hall) En tr an ce s a rev eh icu lar ru nn els in to m e facility ; a third entrance i srhrough the E xh ib it H all Foyer, and the fourth is av ertical p oin t o f entry d ee p w ith in die power p la nt.In clu de d in th e facility are 4 4 s ep ara tc lo catio ns w ithl5 3 rooms making up a to ta l of 112,544 square feerof space on tw o levels.W ith in m e facility is a self-contained pow cr plantcapable of provid ing all necessary pow er needs forapproximately 1,100 people for up ro 40 day s, w hilethe facility ki [chen had a 60-day stockpile ofprovisions.

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FA CILIT Y A REA SWes t Tunnel1 0 addition to se rving as one of th e entrances incat he f ac il it y, the W est T unnel w as the p rin cip al c arrie rof upply and return l ines [Q th e cooling row er(located on th e h il ls id e a bove th e e ntr an ce ) a nd servedas an exit for air that had been used and needed to beexpended. Irwould h av e s er ve d as an e xit for dumpingw eil w ate r from rhe d ie se l g en er ar or s a nd c hille rs ifth e fac ility w ou ld h av e b ee n fu lly ac tiv ate d. The Wes tTUJ1nelprovided a s er vi ce a re a for r ota tio n o f s up plie sand materia ls , and w as used as a storage area. I t is4 3 3 fe et lo ng .D econ AreaT he re are tw o decontam ination areas within th efacility . T he primary dernn area i located just offth e Exh ib it Hall, an d [h e second is located at th e endo f the W est T unnel.Individuals w 10 may have b ee n e xp os ed to radioactivefallout would enter the decon area, dispose of theircontaminated cloth ing, w ash dow n w ith soap andwater , and be is su e d e ith e r a s e t o f fa r igue s or coveralls,fo otw ea r an d u nd erg arm en t.

Pow er P lantT he pow er plant occupies th ree levels. The swi tchgear ,em ergency generarcrs , ch illers , s te am generators,pumps, s tart-up engines and air compre ssors arelocate d on th e main level. The top level houses theair intake ducts and exhaust line s, air filte rs and lowand high pressure h ousing units . T he basem ent h ousesth ree 25,000 gallon w ater s torage tanks andpurification equipm ent, th ree 14 ,000 galJoll dieself u e l storage tanks , a mach ine shop and incineratorfo r w a ste disposal.

Communications AreaTh e com rnunicarions area is on tw o leve ls . Aconference/briefing room, tele phone room s, A T& Tequipm ent room , radio room a nd a dm in is tr at iv econtrol area are on the first level, T he econd levelhoused a m essage processing room , a te levis ionproduction area, an e lectronic mail area , audiorecording booths , a gene ra l supp ly room a nd a v au lte droom for sensitive equipment .

Record Storage RoomThis vaulted room of 600 square fee t was used rohous vital documents of borh the facility, itself, an dth e G ov ernme nt, in ge l1er,al, as w eU as sm all arm sand riot gear for public safe ty purposes . T h is areaw as res tricted to only a fe w fac il it y per sonnel.N BC Equipmenthe N B C (nuclear biological ch em ical) storage room

was u se d IO house such item s as protective coveralls ,rubber suits, gas masks, radiation monitoringequipm ent and chem ical de tection kits .

DormitoriesT here are 18 dormitories on fWO leve ls of rh e facilitycontaining wal l lockers and metal bunk beds. Eachdorm itory can sle ep 60 persons , and the re are show erand toile t facilitie s and a small 10LLnge.Dispensary/Clio itThe dispensary /clinic contained 3 12-bed w ard,medical and dental 0pef3 ri ng roo ms, x-ray area ,laboratory , intensive care unit, nurse call srarionexam ining rooms, pharmacy and reception area.


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FA CILIT Y A REA SWes t Tunnel1 0 addition to se rving as one of th e entrances incat he f ac il it y, the W est T unnel w as the p rin cip al c arrie rof upply and return l ines [Q th e cooling row er(located on th e h il ls id e a bove th e e ntr an ce ) a nd servedas an exit for air that had been used and needed to beexpended. Irwould h av e s er ve d as an e xit for dumpingw eil w ate r from rhe d ie se l g en er ar or s a nd c hille rs ifth e fac ility w ou ld h av e b ee n fu lly ac tiv ate d. The Wes tTUJ1nelprovided a s er vi ce a re a for r ota tio n o f s up plie sand materia ls , and w as used as a storage area. I t is4 3 3 fe et lo ng .D econ AreaT he re are tw o decontam ination areas within th efacility . T he primary dernn area i located just offth e Exh ib it Hall, an d [h e second is located at th e endo f the W est T unnel.Individuals w 10 may have b ee n e xp os ed to radioactivefallout would enter the decon area, dispose of theircontaminated cloth ing, w ash dow n w ith soap andwater , and be is su e d e ith e r a s e t o f fa r igue s or coveralls,fo otw ea r an d u nd erg arm en t.

Pow er P lantT he pow er plant occupies th ree levels. The swi tchgear ,em ergency generarcrs , ch illers , s te am generators,pumps, s tart-up engines and air compre ssors arelocate d on th e main level. The top level houses theair intake ducts and exhaust line s, air filte rs and lowand high pressure h ousing units . T he basem ent h ousesth ree 25,000 gallon w ater s torage tanks andpurification equipm ent, th ree 14 ,000 galJoll dieself u e l storage tanks , a mach ine shop and incineratorfo r w a ste disposal.

Communications AreaTh e com rnunicarions area is on tw o leve ls . Aconference/briefing room, tele phone room s, A T& Tequipm ent room , radio room a nd a dm in is tr at iv econtrol area are on the first level, T he econd levelhoused a m essage processing room , a te levis ionproduction area, an e lectronic mail area , audiorecording booths , a gene ra l supp ly room a nd a v au lte droom for sensitive equipment .

Record Storage RoomThis vaulted room of 600 square fee t was used rohous vital documents of borh the facility, itself, an dth e G ov ernme nt, in ge l1er,al, as w eU as sm all arm sand riot gear for public safe ty purposes . T h is areaw as res tricted to only a fe w fac il it y per sonnel.N BC Equipmenthe N B C (nuclear biological ch em ical) storage room

was u se d IO house such item s as protective coveralls ,rubber suits, gas masks, radiation monitoringequipm ent and chem ical de tection kits .

DormitoriesT here are 18 dormitories on fWO leve ls of rh e facilitycontaining wal l lockers and metal bunk beds. Eachdorm itory can sle ep 60 persons , and the re are show erand toile t facilitie s and a small 10LLnge.Dispensary/Clio itThe dispensary /clinic contained 3 12-bed w ard,medical and dental 0pef3 ri ng roo ms, x-ray area ,laboratory , intensive care unit, nurse call srarionexam ining rooms, pharmacy and reception area.


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CafeterialKitchenT h e c afe te ria wa s d es ig ne d to feed 400 persons ato ne se ating. T he kitch en is fully e quippe d w ith foodstorage, preparation and serving areas . T he entirec afe te ria /k irc he n c ov ers m ore th an 7 ,5 00 s qu are fe er.E xh ib it H all/M e etin g R oomsThe 1 6 ,5 4 4- squ are -f oo t e x h i b i t hall was d e sig na te dco be th e w ork space for C ongres ional upporr s taffm em be rs to c on du ct th e business o fg ov ernm en r. T h eexhibit h all h as be en use d by th ou sa nd s o f g ue sts a ndGreenbrier employees for num erous and variousunctions th roughout rhe years , w ithout the irknowledge mat [hey acrual ly were inside th e bunke r.An 18-ron blast d o o r is concealed at th e in te rio rentrance to th e E xh ib it H all, while a 30-[on blastdoor is located at the East T unne l entrance (0 m eExhib it Hail.Gove rno r's Ha l l and th e M o un ta in ee r R oom, rhe rw omeet ing r o o m s of f of th e e xh ibit h all, w ere t o be m ea ss em bly ro om s fo r [h e H ou se o fR ep re se nta riv es a ndmate . Like me e xh ibit h all, th ese roo ms also have

been used throughout th e years b y thousands ofguests .A laun dry facility w as lo ca te d o ff m e e xh ib it h all, aw as th e te levis ion repair sh op w hich served a part ofth e c ov er fo r th e s ec re t o pe ra tio n.

G o v e r n o r 's H a l l

STATISTICAl INFORMATIONLocation S q . Ill. Facilities/UsesE x h ib ir H a ll 1 6 . 5 4 4 7 2 r e h o n e -m i c ro p h o n co u t e r s f o r u s e b y

o n g r e s s io n a l a id e sL a u n d r y 12 0G o v e r n o r ' s Hail 4.056 4 4 0 seats. 1 4 0 p h o n e -

m i c r o p h o n e o ud e r s F o r l i s eb y U .S . H o u s e o fRepresentarives

Mountaineer 1,161 1 3 3 sears, 4 3 p h o n e .R o o m m i c r o S h o n e o u t l e t'S F o r u seb y U . . S e n a t eM a in S to ra g e A r e a 1 4 0C a fe re r i a, K i r c h e n , 7 , 5 2 5 1 ~ a n c r y , 3 f r e e z e r s .Pan r y . F r e e z e r l k i r c h e n , 4 0 0 s e a rc a f m r i a , f o o d p r e p a r e a ,

d i s h w a s h e r a r e aD i s p e n s a r y ),895 S m il l c li n ic , p h a r m a c y a n d

d e n ta l a r e a ; 1 2 w a r d b ed sL o u n g e s 4,800 A vg . 6 00 s q u a r e f e e r p e rl o u n g eDormirories 2 2 , 5 0 0 A v g . 1 , 2 5 0 s q u a r e f e e t w i t h

u p C O 6 0 metal b e d s e a c hVault 5 0 0 R e c o r d S to r a g e A r e aP o w e r P la n t 1 5 , 3 0 0 Ba semenc s to ra ge ;P l e n u m 2,280 m a i l, l ev e l: o p e r a t in g

e qu ip m e n r ; s e c o n d l e v e l : a irin ta ke , e xha us t, 6 J ters

C o m m u n i c a r i o n 1 4 . 7 0 0 T i a n s m i t c i n g l r e c e i I f i n gA r e a c l a s s i f i e d / u n c l a s s i t i e d

l l l c s s l e s - r e p r o d u c t i o n .T V e i r i n gD c c o n L a m i n at io n 1 , 2 0 0 E a st E n t r an c e : s e r v i n gA r e a s u p [0 2 4 0 p e r s o n s l h o u r

Wes t Ent ra nc e: s e r v l l l gup r o 1 2 0 p e r so n s / h o u r

B l a sr D o o r s F o u r d o o r s , o n e 1 0 a t e d a re ac h p o i n t o r e m r yB a lc o n y A r e a 9 , 6 0 0 O f f i c e /w o r k a re a f o r

H o u s e /S e n a re L e ad e r sh i pW e s[ T u n n el 6 , 4 9 5 P o in r o f e n t r y [0 f a c i l i t y ;

a l s o w e d a s a s t o ra g e a r e aT o r a l 112,544


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The

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greenbrier bunker tour brochure (1998)

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