Los Alamos in Los Alamos County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Power House

Los Alamos Historical Walking Tour

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

1. Power House Marker

Inscription. This stone building, which replaced a wooden one that burned in 1933, housed the Los Alamos Ranch School's electrical generators. Foreman Jim Womelsduff and his assistants had to maintain the diesel power plant, which included disassembling it on a regular basis to scrape out the caked-on carbon. The power needs of the Manhattan Project soon outstripped the capacity of the Ranch School's electrical system. The 600-square-foot building was remodeled to help ease the project's housing crunch, and explosives expert and E-Division Group Leader George Kistiakowsky moved into the Power House. Since World War II, the building has hosted the Red Cross, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park staff, and the Los Alamos Branch Office of the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Agency, among other organizations.

Below: The Power House in 1942. Right top to bottom: George Kistiakowsky made the Power House his home during the Manhattan Project. (photos courtesy Los Alamos Historical Society); The Power House served as the headquarters for the Los Alamos Chapter of the Red Cross in 2005.

Pick up a copy of the Historical Walking Tour Guide at the Los Alamos History Museum, Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos Nature Center, any of the Visitor Centers, or one of the visitor guide kiosks around town. Download

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one by scanning the QR code, or go to visitlosalamos.org.

Erected by Los Alamos.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 35° 52.967′ N, 106° 18.167′ W. Marker is in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in Los Alamos County. It is at the intersection of Bathtub Row and Juniper Street, on the left when traveling north on Bathtub Row. The marker is located at the front of the house. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1251 Bathtub Row, Los Alamos NM 87544, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern New Mexico.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pajarito Mountain Ski Area (within shouting distance of this marker); The Baker House (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial Rose Garden (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Romero Cabin (about 400 feet away); A Sense of Place (about 400 feet away); Five Eras of History (about 400 feet away); Fire Cache (about 400 feet away); Ancestral Pueblo Site (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Alamos.

Other markers no longer nearby. Fuller Lodge (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed); William Mackwood Hopper (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); Homesteading on the Pajarito Plateau, 1887-1942

Power House and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

2. Power House and Marker

(was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); Harold H. Brook (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named The Romero Cabin (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . .
1. Los Alamos where discoveries are made. Los Alamos County (Submitted on April 7, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Historical Walking Tour Map. Los Alamos Historical Museum

Walk from the Stone Age to the atomic age. Your walking tour spans eight centuries of Los Alamos history, from ancestral Pueblos, through homesteading on the Pajarito Plateau, to the future of science and technology. We hope that it will be just the beginning of your acquaintance with Los Alamos.

(Submitted on April 8, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 139 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 8, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.