West Milton Sphere

Huge concrete saucer, 179 feet in diameter and 42 feet deep, is the foundation for a 225 foot steep sphere, largest ever constructed, that will house an atomic power plant being built by the Atomic Energy Commission for the US Navy. The project is under the direction of the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, operated by the General Electric Company for A.E.C. The central tower and derrick used for assembling the sphere will rise to a total height of 424 feet above ground level. The prototype atomic plant, the sphere surrounding it and the associated buildings are being built on a 4,000 acre site at West Milton, NY, about 18 miles north of Schenectady.