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Fort Knox Bullion Depository Original Blueprints. Forty-six unique pages, with some duplication. Each sheet is approximately...
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Description
Fort Knox Bullion Depository Original Blueprints. Forty-six unique pages, with some duplication. Each sheet is approximately 38" x 24.5" and dates from 1933 to 1935. The pages, most drawn by different draftsmen, include: floor plans for the first floor, second floor, and basement; details of the vertical sliding doors, entrance gates, gatehouses, fence, main entrance, vestibule, lobby, vault entrance, vault, east and west walls of the vault, basement, first floor vault, and foundation; systems for vault armoring; and many other facets of the building considered the most secure structure in the world. Each sheet is marked "Treasury Department, Procurement Division, Public Works Branch". The architect was Louis Simon and Neal A. Melick was the supervising engineer. Looking at these plans, it's easy to see what is meant by the old saying, "Built like Fort Knox". Light wear and aging, else very fine.The vault of the Fort Knox Bullion Depository holds much of the United States' gold reserves. The depository, located approximately thirty miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, on a site which was formerly a part of the Fort Knox military reservation, was completed in December 1936 at a cost of $560,000.
The two-story building, with basement and attic, is constructed of granite, steel and concrete. Its exterior dimensions measure 105 feet by 121 feet. Its height is 42 feet above ground level. Within the building is a two level steel and concrete vault that is divided into compartments. The vault door weighs more than 20 tons. The vault casing is constructed of steel plates, steel I-beams, and steel cylinders laced with hoop bands and encased in concrete. The vault roof is of similar construction and is independent of the Bullion Depository roof. Between the outer wall and a seven foot corridor encircling the vault are offices and storerooms. The second floor has a dormitory, lounge, kitchen, and tiled promenade. The basement has a pistol range along the left side and tilting mirrors to see into every compartment.
The outer wall of the Bullion Depository is constructed of granite lined with concrete. Construction materials used on the building included 16,500 cubic feet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforcing steel and 670 tons of structural steel. Over the marble entrance at the front of the building is the inscription "United States Depository" with the seal of the Department of the Treasury in gold on black polished granite. Offices of the officer in charge and the captain of the guard open upon the entrance lobby. At the rear of the building is another entrance, with vertical sliding doors, at the receiving room used for unloading bullion and supplies.
At each corner of the structure on the outside, but connected with it through the basement, are four guard boxes. Sentry boxes, similar to the guard boxes at the corners of the Bullion Depository, are located at the entrance gate. A driveway encircles the building and a steel fence marks the boundaries of the site. The nearby army post provides additional protection. The Bullion Depository is equipped with its own emergency power plant, water system and other facilities. No visitors are permitted at the Depository, a policy which was adopted when the Depository was established, and is strictly enforced.
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