The Joe L. Evins Federal Building in Oak Ridge, the familiar white, multi-storied structure visible from Oak Ridge Turnpike’s east end, has been declared a surplus property by the federal government, and the city of Oak Ridge is interested in possibly purchasing it.
The government’s asking price for the historic structure – which was home of the Atomic Energy Commission, precursor to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) – hasn’t been determined. The building at 200 Administration Road was dedicated in 1970, and was named after Evins, a longtime U.S. congressman who represented Middle Tennessee, in 1984.
The Federal Building is said to be almost fully vacated and is expected to be fully so by September.
How would the city use the Federal Building?
City officials and an architectural firm have been assessing how the city government could use the Federal Building. Options they are looking at include using the Federal Building to ease overcrowding in the Municipal Building and perhaps as the new home for Oak Ridge Schools’ administration offices. Those school offices are currently housed in the Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building, 304 New York Ave. The School Administration Building was originally Pine Valley Elementary, one of the original schools in Oak Ridge. Replacing the building has been on the city’s capital improvements plan for decades…