City: Kennedy Space Center   County: Brevard   Year: 2023
Location: 1st Street SE

This is the site of the original Headquarters Building which was the administrative center of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from 1965 to 2019. It housed the offices of the Center Director and those who conducted scientific, engineering, and administrative work for Project Gemini and the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. NASA milestones achieved during this time include, landing the first humans on the moon, the launch of Skylab, the first meeting of two different nations in space, the launch of the first American woman and minority astronauts into space, the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, and construction of the International Space Station. The building, designed in the International Style, was four stories tall and roughly 440,000 sq. ft. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It included employee services areas, a visitor’s lobby, library rooms and briefly contained living quarters for the first KSC Center Director. A mosaic tile NASA logo was added to the main entrance in 2006. Before demolition in 2022, historical elements from the building, such as the bust of John F. Kennedy and the original NASA sign, were preserved, and are displayed at the new Headquarters Building.