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especially if a school received a direct hit from an atomic blast or was within the immediate blast radius of the weapon. One official argued that his school district was "in no position to guarantee physical protection … from a thermonuclear explosion or radioactive fallout." Many state departments of education viewed the school shelter plans as "worthless". California's
Department of Education, for example, was given designs intended to reduce radiation levels inside the school to 1/100 the level outdoors. These plans were rejected. When the California Department of Education then specified protection which would increase the protection factor to 1/1,000, it judged the costs to be too high, and the plans were rejected. Other departments of education and administrators rejected such plans because of their concern for the psychological well-being of their students, who, they believed, would be "constantly reminded of the possibility of a nuclear war" if kept in such a school for extended periods of time.
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possibility of nuclear war, and some were terrified that they could be orphaned in the event of war. One of the most substantial fears raised by students involved the 2,160 person capacity of the school. In the event of a war, only the first 2,160 people would be allowed into the school for shelter, which would likely have left the majority of
Artesia's nearly 12,000 residents, including the parents of some of Abo's students, without any shelter in the event of a nuclear attack.
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hope that future schools built in
Artesia would follow its example. Federal studies concluded that the students suffered no long-term effects from their time in Abo, and many students who suffered from chronic allergies or asthma were transferred to Abo as its advanced air filtration systems reduced the impact of
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Outside of
Artesia, Abo Elementary School was condemned by many councils and groups, some of whom rejected the concept of an underground school entirely. Notwithstanding, the President of Artesia's Board of Education, C.P. Bunch, called the school "more a matter of insurance than fear", and expressed
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Standhardt designed the school in such a way as to make every element serve multiple purposes. To reduce cost of concrete, for example, the concrete shell roof of the school would double as a basketball court, and the drinking wells were designed to pump water into the air conditioning systems during
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Abo
Elementary School was shut down in 1995 as a result of increased maintenance costs, aging mechanical equipment and difficulties associated with removing asbestos insulation from the underground, windowless structure. A new school, Yeso Elementary School, was built next door and Abo was converted
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Building the Abo
Elementary School required that it be constructed with concrete reinforcing walls and a concrete outer shell to protect the inner parts of the school. To fulfill all requirements, Abo contained multiple drinking-water wells, a cafeteria, food storage, bedding and supplies for up to
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was produced with students in mind, in the hopes that they would learn how, in the event of a nuclear blast, to be shielded from glass and blast waves using desks and chairs. However, educators, school administrators, and government officials soon realized that such measures would be inadequate,
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Within
Artesia, Abo Elementary School was lauded by teachers and many parents. Teachers often described Abo's students as less likely to cause trouble, more attentive, and less likely to require discipline. On the other hand, many of those same students described heightened awareness of the
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suggests a cost increase at 30 percent. Regardless, the U.S. Office of Civil
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magazine article (September 5, 1960) quotes
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design and to further knowledge about the long-term effects of life underground in a shelter environment. The US civil defense film
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and allergens. Indeed, these studies concluded that many students' health improved as a result of extended time in the school.
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2,160 people, air-filtration systems, an emergency power-generation system, decontamination systems, carpet, and a morgue.
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roof which doubled as the school's playground. It contained a large storage facility with room for emergency
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in the United States constructed entirely underground and equipped to function as an advanced
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University and college buildings listed on the
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Abo Elementary School was built partly to further the development of American
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School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Eddy County, New Mexico
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List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
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National Register of Historic Places in Eddy County, New Mexico
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One Nation Underground: The Fallout Shelter in American Culture
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518:. Sanger, California: Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press.
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and supplies for up to 2,160 people in the event of
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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591:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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27:Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter
270:and completed in 1962, the school had a
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266:. Designed at the height of the
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234:Designated NMSRCP
155:32.83250°N 104.41917°W
88:Show map of New Mexico
630:National Park Service
610:Contributing property
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244:Abo Elementary School
985:District of Columbia
160:32.83250; -104.41917
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128:Artesia, New Mexico
229:September 29, 1999
126:1802 Center Ave.,
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492:. 1960-09-05.
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531:11 November
357:dust storms
284:catastrophe
158: /
134:Coordinates
1068:Categories
887:Washington
807:New Mexico
802:New Jersey
677:California
525:1884956270
400:References
321:Architect
294:Background
252:New Mexico
146:104°25′9″W
143:32°49′57″N
897:Wisconsin
862:Tennessee
767:Minnesota
742:Louisiana
290:in 1999.
282:or other
179:Architect
1089:Cold War
1053:Category
882:Virginia
832:Oklahoma
812:New York
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777:Missouri
762:Michigan
752:Maryland
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372:See also
268:Cold War
202:99001171
123:Location
999:Related
902:Wyoming
877:Vermont
782:Montana
722:Indiana
702:Georgia
697:Florida
667:Arizona
657:Alabama
363:Closure
276:rations
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171:Built
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872:Utah
827:Ohio
727:Iowa
556:blog
533:2015
520:ISBN
490:Time
459:ISBN
327:Time
215:1781
174:1962
246:in
210:No.
197:No.
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