Let’s preserve our Mission Control
It’s important to consider the 85 buildings at NASA’s Space Center
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared that the U.S. would land a man on the moon and safely return him to Earth by the end of the decade.
But the National Aeronautics and Space Administration would need a dedicated facility to meet this goal. Only a few months later, on Sept. 19, 1961, NASA announced that Houston would be home to the Manned Spacecraft Center.
A combination of factors led NASA to select the Texas city. The area met the requirements laid out by the agency; backroom politicking among local leaders, community boosters and Texas politicians played a significant role in the decision, too.
Everyone benefited from this Texas deal. NASA received 1,000 acres for its site from Rice University through a Humble Oil Co. donation. The local Texas company Brown and Root received a contract for MSC’s architectural design work, Rice received NASA grants and Humble Oil began to promote the area’s development to support the influx of newcomers.
Once building contracts were signed, construction proceeded quickly. The Apollo lunar program was a top priority, and speed and efficiency were vital to achieving the president’s goal. A good deal of the construction work used prefabrication techniques and was completed off site, resulting in decreased downtime and enabling workers to complete buildings faster.
For inspiration and to foster creative thinking for those working on the frontiers of space and science, NASA desired a
campus-like atmosphere. The master plan included buildings with walls of windows offering vistas of the surrounding area to spark the imaginations of their employees.
NASA employees overseeing site design believed the site was too stark and insisted on landscaping the area with plants and trees. The main buildings overlooked central duck ponds, creating scenic and relaxing vistas. Lightcolored buildings — white with black contrast — also brightened the natural environment.
Today, the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (renamed in 1973 to honor the former president) has one of the largest collections of postmodern Brutalist architecture in the United States. JSC’s buildings incorporate many facets of the rugged style, including exposed aggregate concrete exterior paneled walls, plain facades and recessed windows. Only
one of JSC’s 217 buildings, the Mission Control Center, includes decorative detailing above the exterior doors leading into its main lobby.
The JSC has been in operation for more than 50 years, and many of its buildings, structures and displays — 85 to be exact — are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the buildings are historic because of their association with events in American history, such as the lunar landing and the space shuttle program and people such as astronauts or program managers, not because of their architecture. One building considered architecturally significant is the Long Duration Evaluation Facility, which once contained the centrifuge. Two buildings, the MCC and the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory, are designated as National Historic Landmarks. Given the Center’s significant accomplishments, the entire site is now a Historic District.
Preservation of these important properties is a challenge because of declining budgets and a federal mandate to reduce costs and square footage, reduce energy consumption, consolidate space and divest in properties. Preservation at JSC is a constant battle to save old buildings from demolition and neglect. Adaptive reuse of these structures is an option but not a common occurrence. Only two buildings at JSC have been retrofitted for new uses and occupants.
The decision to restore the Apollo MCC required four years of negotiation.
With the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing soon approaching, restoration is set to begin in December. Houstonians should be excited about the effort to showcase one of the city’s most historic assets. But the space is more than just a monument.
The MCC stands an example of the extraordinary teamwork required to land men on the moon and the technological innovation generated by the space program. People identify Houston with Mission Control. Those famous words broadcast across the world on July 20, 1969, remind everyone of the city’s connection to the space agency: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
With the restoration of the MCC, it will soon tell the story of this nation’s remarkable achievement and inspire future generations.