Inside the Los Alamos secret town where scientists built the atomic bomb — which you can visit today

Mary K. Jacob
·6 min read
All are now welcome to visit Los Alamos, New Mexico where Manhattan Project administrators found an ideal location for the secret laboratory where they designed and built the world’s first atomic weapons.
All are now welcome to visit Los Alamos, New Mexico where Manhattan Project administrators found the ideal location for the secret laboratory, where they designed and built the world's first atomic weapons.
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In the annals of American history, there are few places as emblematic of scientific ingenuity and wartime urgency as Los Alamos, New Mexico — the birthplace of the atomic bomb.

Tucked away in the rugged terrain near Albuquerque, this once-secret town played a pivotal role in the development of the world’s first atomic weapons.

Now, this formerly clandestine site is open to visitors as a National Park, offering a firsthand journey back in time to one of the most pivotal moments of the 20th century.

Thrust back into the spotlight most recently by Christopher Nolan’s multi BAFTA-winning film “Oppenheimer,” which dropped last week on Prime Video and stars Cillian Murphy as Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb,” Los Alamos holds a significant place in World War II history. What’s more, the film also brings the town itself into mainstream view, adding a curious element of real estate history, showing viewers where the team and their family members resided during this time of global conflict.

Los Alamos Project Main Gate in the 1940s. NPS
Los Alamos Project Main Gate in the 1940s. NPS
Los Alamos Project Main Gate today. LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Los Alamos Project Main Gate today. LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

Oppenheimer, leading the top-secret Manhattan Project, spearheaded the research and development efforts to produce the first nuclear weapons.

The Manhattan Project, a collaborative effort between the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, was named after its initial offices in Manhattan, New York City at 270 Broadway. But Oppenheimer needed a more low-key place than New York to develop the weapons and test them.

Enter the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

This site can all be traced back to Nov. 16, 1942, when Oppenheimer and his colleagues toured the vicinity of the Los Alamos Ranch School.

Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (left) played by Cillian Murphy (right) in Christopher Nolan’s BAFTA-winning film “Oppenheimer.” Corbis via Getty Images; ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (left) played by Cillian Murphy (right) in Christopher Nolan’s BAFTA-winning film “Oppenheimer.” Corbis via Getty Images; ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
The B Reactor is the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor. The plutonium produced here was used in the Trinity Test and in the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The B Reactor is the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor. The plutonium produced here was used in the Trinity Test and in the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Visitors can tour the B Reactor via tours offered by the Department of Energy. NPS/BURGHART
Visitors can tour the B Reactor via tours offered by the Department of Energy. NPS/BURGHART

The acquisition of this site hinged upon the presence of the school — a collection of 54 buildings that provided essential accommodations. Of the 54 buildings, 27 were houses, dormitories or other quarters providing more than 46,600 square feet of accommodation.

Perched atop a mesa with canyons cutting through the landscape, Los Alamos’ remote location provided the necessary isolation, while proximity to Santa Fe ensured access to transportation and other resources.

On Oppenheimer’s recommendation, the search for a suitable site honed in on the vicinity of Albuquerque, where the physicist owned a ranch.

With Oppenheimer’s vision as their guiding light, Los Alamos quickly became a crucible of scientific brilliance, attracting luminaries such as Norris Bradbury, Richard Feynman, and Hans Bethe.

J. Robert Oppenheimer’s house. NPS
J. Robert Oppenheimer’s house. NPS
Another photo of Oppenheimer’s home. NPS
Another photo of Oppenheimer’s home. NPS
After the establishment of the Manhattan Project, the Power House became George Kistiakowsky’s home. Los Alamos National Laboratory
After the establishment of the Manhattan Project, the Power House became George Kistiakowsky’s home. Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Power House originally housed the electrical generator for the Los Alamos Ranch School. NPS
The Power House originally housed the electrical generator for the Los Alamos Ranch School. NPS

Under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves, portrayed by Matt Damon in the film, the project rapidly expanded, employing nearly 130,000 individuals across these states at its peak and costing nearly $2 billion at the time (or nearly $32 billion today).

And they all needed a place to live — and with their families, too.

Among the accommodations, “Bathtub Row” stood out as a symbol of luxury, boasting six log and stone cottages equipped with bathtubs. This is where Oppenheimer resided.

First Director of the Laboratory at Los Alamos J. Robert Oppenheimer with second director Norris Bradbury at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Museum during Oppenheimer’s visit to the Lab, May 1964. National Security Research Center
First Director of the Laboratory at Los Alamos J. Robert Oppenheimer with second director Norris Bradbury at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Museum during Oppenheimer’s visit to the Lab, May 1964. National Security Research Center
Women’s dormitory in Los Alamos November 1945. National Security Research Center
Women’s dormitory in Los Alamos November 1945. National Security Research Center

Beyond Bathtub Row, accommodations were varied, with Sundt apartments offering modest living spaces, and transient visitors finding reprieve in Fuller Lodge and other historic structures.

Each Sundt apartment, for its part, had two or three bedrooms, a kitchen with a black coal stove and a modest bathroom.

Rents were set based on the income of the tenant.

Fuller Lodge served as the dining hall for the Los Alamos Ranch School and as a community center for Manhattan Project workers. LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Fuller Lodge served as the dining hall for the Los Alamos Ranch School and as a community center for Manhattan Project workers. LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
By far the largest of the remaining school buildings, Fuller Lodge over the years has played an important role in the Los Alamos community. Today, it is an art center NPS
By far the largest of the remaining school buildings, Fuller Lodge over the years has played an important role in the Los Alamos community. Today, it is an art center NPS

It was more than just housing and workspace. Originally constructed in 1928, Fuller Lodge primarily functioned as a dining hall and staff quarters for the Los Alamos Ranch School.

Boasting more than 700 Ponderosa pines from the nearby forest in its construction, the lodge, designed by esteemed architect John Gaw Meem, was a vital emblem of the school.

The lodge not only housed visiting scientists but also held various gatherings such as dances, plays and other events.

Today, Fuller Lodge continues its legacy as a community center, hosting a diverse array of functions like meetings, lectures and even weddings.

A group of attendees for the British Mission party gathered in Fuller Lodge. National Security Research Center
A group of attendees for the British Mission party gathered in Fuller Lodge. National Security Research Center
The interior of an army barracks with rows of beds, lockers and wood-fire stoves in the center aisle. National Security Research Center
The interior of an army barracks with rows of beds, lockers and wood-fire stoves in the center aisle. National Security Research Center
Los Alamos residents at the soda fountain counter.
Los Alamos residents at the soda fountain counter.
Men lined up at the entrance of a post office.
Men lined up at the entrance of a post office.
An aerial of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M.
An aerial of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M.
Fat Man bomb casing on Monday, August 7, 2023 in Trinity Site, New Mexico. The detonation, conducted by the U.S. Army, occurred on July 16, 1945.
Fat Man bomb casing on Monday, August 7, 2023 in Trinity Site, New Mexico. The detonation, conducted by the U.S. Army, occurred on July 16, 1945.
The Trinity Site obelisk where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The Trinity Site obelisk where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Men’s dormitory room in Los Alamos in 1946.
Men’s dormitory room in Los Alamos in 1946.
The Schmidt/McDonald Ranch House, where the assembly of the world’s first nuclear weapon took place.
The Schmidt/McDonald Ranch House, where the assembly of the world’s first nuclear weapon took place.
Autographed photo of Paul Tibbets posing in front of the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber. Tibbets was a brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, and he piloted the Enola Gay during the August 6 drop of the Little Boy weapon over Hiroshima, Japan. Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Autographed photo of Paul Tibbets posing in front of the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber. Tibbets was a brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, and he piloted the Enola Gay during the August 6 drop of the Little Boy weapon over Hiroshima, Japan. Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Education, too, flourished in this clandestine community, with a school established in 1943, catering to the growing population of children.

Initially envisioned as a military laboratory, Los Alamos saw its population swell far beyond initial projections, reaching 3,500 by the end of 1943 and ballooning to 10,000 by 1946.