Los Alamos Historical Society Hosts Talk on Manhattan Project Buildings Behind Fence

The Los Alamos Historical Society is hosting If These Walls Could Talk Part 2: Buildings Behind the Fence tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 7–9 p.m. in the Pajarito Room at Fuller Lodge. The lecture, part of the LAHS 2025–2026 Lecture Series, is presented in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park and uses images and illustrations to focus attention on structures often overlooked in local narratives.

"The Los Alamos Historical Society is pleased to invite you to the next lecture in the 2025–2026 Lecture Series, If These Walls Could Talk Part 2: Buildings Behind the Fence, presented in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory and Manhattan Project National Historical Park," LAHS said in its announcement. LAHS also described the event this way: "This illustrated talk will explore lesser-known structures associated with the Manhattan Project and their fascinating roles in Los Alamos history." Promotional material invites the public to "Join LAHS for this engaging evening of history and discussion from 7–9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the Pajarito Room at Fuller Lodge."

The program underscores how local institutions are partnering to interpret the physical legacy of the wartime laboratory and its aftermath. For residents, the talk offers more than archival detail; it is a chance to consider how buildings - the workshops, support facilities and auxiliary structures that sat behind security fences - shaped everyday life in a company town built around scientific secrecy. Those conversations can affect community stewardship priorities, preservation funding, and how local history informs contemporary discussions about land use and environmental monitoring.

A discrepancy in secondary coverage was noted: a headline from a local outlet read, "Historical Society Presents ‘If These Walls Could Talk Part 2: Buildings Behind The Fence’ Feb. 10," though that outlet's own story body repeated the Feb. 9 time that LAHS posted. LAHS did not list speaker names, admission or RSVP requirements, or accessibility and parking details in the public notice, so attendees seeking accommodations or further program specifics may want to contact the society directly.

The Los Alamos History Museum campus, run by LAHS, is located at 1050 Bathtub Row; museum hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. As this program continues the society's public series, it also highlights the need for transparent public engagement around the Manhattan Project legacy - including preservation, interpretation and any lingering environmental or health concerns tied to the site's past operations.

For Los Alamos residents, the lecture is an opportunity to deepen local knowledge and to press for inclusive, evidence-based conversations about how the town preserves and interprets sites that remain, literally and figuratively, behind the fence.