Hanford: Historic Sites in the Community

During the Manhattan Project, architect Gustav Pehrson transformed the pre-war farming community of Richland into a compact, walkable city that offered residents a variety of services. This building housed the C.C. Anderson’s Department Store. As the only department store in town, the C.C. Anderson’s Department Store was a hive of activity located in the center of the community. Today, this building houses a number of smaller stores.

Between 1943 and 1945, the Hanford Engineer Works employed approximately 45,000 people—not counting a supplemental workforce of 250 to 290 federal prisoners from the McNeil Island Penitentiary in Puget Sound. The prisoners harvested crops on farms and orchards taken over by the government to make way for the Manhattan Project. They lived in a special camp at the southern boundary of the Hanford Site, on the north bank of the Yakima River, just above Horn Rapids Dam.

The trail up Candy Mountain is a moderate 3.6 mile (5.8 km) roundtrip hike that offers sweeping views of the Tri-Cities region and a walk through time. Signs along the trail explain the impact of the ice age floods on area geography. Hikers capture sweeping views from the summit, with Mount Adams, Rainier, and Stuart visible on clear days. This perch offers a bird’s-eye view of the Hanford Site. A nearby sign points out the various areas of the Hanford Site.

Constructed in 1909, the Dyer Building has witnessed more than a century of change. Its numerous occupants reflect the many phases of Richland as it went from a small farming community, to a “secret city,” to a Cold War technology center, to an incorporated city. The Dyer building has been a boarding house, hotel, single family home, newspaper office, and a library. In 1965 it became an art gallery—the Gallery at the Park.

Richland’s population boom didn’t end with the Manhattan Project. Hanford’s plutonium production facilities continued operating throughout the Cold War. More housing was built to accommodate the constant influx of workers. Built in 1949, this neighborhood near the Columbia River became known as the “gold coast.” The homes in this area were larger, more expensive, and tended to house professionals.

Built in 1922, the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge was constructed to accommodate larger amounts of vehicle travelers compared to the previous ferry system. Linking the cities of Kennewick and Pasco, the bridge was painted green and quickly earned the nickname “the Green Bridge.” This bridge had a direct impact on the social and economic development of the region. A plaque and some remnants of railing is all that remains of this steel cantilever truss bridge.

Built in 1922, the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge (the “Green Bridge”) in southeastern Washington began as a symbol of unity and progress. No one could have known then that the bridge, painted in green, would eventually gain a new and menacing significance, one of exclusion. The Green Bridge would become a dividing line between Kennewick, a community that sought to exclude Blacks, and Pasco, a community that sought to confine Blacks.

George Gress built a humble brick building in early Richland for his butcher shop. He operated Gress’s Meat Market from 1915 until 1943 when the Manhattan Project displaced most of Richland's existing businesses and residents. Since closure of the meat market, this building has served as a newspaper office, tavern, library, chocolate store, restaurant, and sweet shop.

African Americans who worked at the Hanford Site in the 1940s and 1950s were segregated and confined to living in East Pasco. This section of Pasco lacked many city services, including a city park. Local families worked together to create a baseball diamond in East Pasco by clearing tumbleweeds, filling holes in with shovels, and wiring in a backstop.

Leslie Groves Park is named in honor of General Leslie Groves, the military leader in charge of the Manhattan Project. This park offers several picnic areas, a sandy beach, volleyball courts, and access to the Richland Riverfront Trail that follows the Columbia River.