Known as the "Gate House," this checking station was constructed in the post-World War II years and was operated by the United States Atomic Energy Commission to control access to the Y-12 plant from 1949 to 1953. After the city of Oak Ridge opened to the public on March 19, 1949, access to the Y-12 plant remained restricted. Built with concrete and bullet-proof windows, it reflects the heightened security conditions of the early Cold War years. Two other identical checking stations controlled access to the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant on Oak Ridge Turnpike and the X-10 Graphite Reactor on Bethel Valley Road. Virtually unchanged since their time in operation, all three checking stations were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.