A truly exceptional, one-of-a-kind artifact from WWII. This complete shield window from the Manhattan Project's T-221 Plant in Hanford, Washington is breathtaking to behold.
The Manhattan Project was the codename for the research and development effort which allowed the United States to rapidly develop a series of atomic breakthroughs during World War II, including the first industrial-scale plutonium production reactor and the first atomic bombs. This enormous project involved over one hundred thousand scientists, engineers, technicians, and construction workers at more than 30 sites across the United States, including well-known locations such as Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, Trinity, and Hanford.
This specimen is a FULL-size leaded glass shield window once installed in the T Plant (221-T) Plutonium Recovery Building, the first and largest of two production bismuth-phosphate chemical separations plants used to extract plutonium from fuel rods irradiated in the Hanford Site’s reactors.
During WWII, engineers at Hanford would look through this glass while extracting plutonium for both the Trinity test on July 16, 1945 and the "Fat Man" atomic bomb used over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945.
The window was sold during a government surplus auction in the late 1980s as part of the long (and continuing) decommissioning process. The yellow color of the glass is due to a high concentration of lead-oxide (up to 30% in this case), which blocks blue and near-UV spectral frequencies, and also gives the glass its protective qualities.
About the Window
Only a few complete windows like this exist. This particular window is the largest. At 54” wide and weighs about 1,700 lbs, it’s not exactly something you hang on the wall but it is an incredible piece of history. Truly nothing else in the world quite like it.
In addition, to this window, there are a handful of smaller full windows and very large fragments of glass available. As you might suspect, they are very expensive and very heavy. These items are priced by weight and run between $10,000 to $3,400,000 (yes, that's three million).
If you are interested in obtaining one of these incredibly rare items, please contact us directly for details.
LEAD WARNING: The glass is not radioactive but it is comprised of lead-oxide. The glass should be handled with care and only while wearing gloves.
