The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will unveil its historic B-1 Flattop House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 26, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
The event will feature brief remarks from Executive Director Beth Shea and museum board members, and the reading of an original poem about the house by Oak Ridge Poet Laureate Rose Weaver, according to a news release. Light refreshments will be served.
The historic Flattop House at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.
The Flattop is one of thousands of prefabricated homes built in Oak Ridge during World War II to accommodate Manhattan Project workers and their families. This compact two-bedroom, one-bath home originally stood at 68 Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.
In 1948, the house was purchased at auction by Thaddeus Fitzpatrick, who relocated it to Tazewell, Tennessee, where it served as a summer family retreat for nearly six decades. In 2009, the house was donated to the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE) by his daughter Isabelle Smith and her husband, Dr. Kenneth Smith. Although Isabelle has since passed, her legacy lives on through the continued involvement of Dr. Smith and their daughter, Rachel Smith-Jones, in preserving the house’s history.
The Flattop was on display at AMSE for nearly 10 years before being donated to the Children’s Museum in 2018 by the AMSE Foundation, when AMSE relocated to a site that could not accommodate the house.
“At just 576 square feet, I call the Flattop the original tiny house,” said Beth Shea. “It has undergone a thorough renovation, and we’re thrilled to share it with the public. This milestone was made possible because of Dr. Smith and other generous donors, Victory Brick purchasers, in-kind service providers, and our friends at CNS, who have supported the project every step of the way.”
Admission to the Flattop House will be free on July 26, courtesy of CNS. Visitors are invited to tour the house and explore its history with guidance from museum staff. Regular admission fees will still apply for entry to the main museum that day. Staff and volunteers will be available to assist those who wish to visit only the Flattop House.
Following the grand opening, the Flattop House will become part of the museum’s Third Sunday program. It will reopen to the public on Aug. 17 as an optional add-on to regular museum admission. Entry to the house will be available for a small additional fee: $5 for adults and $3 for seniors, veterans, educators, active-duty military, and children aged 3–17. Children aged 2 and under, as well as Children’s Museum members at the Reciprocal Sustainer level and above, will receive free admission. No other discounts will apply.
The museum is seeking volunteers ages 16 and older to greet guests and share insights about the Flattop and Oak Ridge’s “Secret City” era. No history expertise is required; training will be provided. As volunteer capacity grows, the house’s operating hours will expand.
Interested volunteers can apply at childrensmuseumofoakridge.org/volunteer. For questions, contact Jessica Ordóñez at jordonez@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org or (865) 482-1074.
The Children’s Museum is located at 461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit childrensmuseumofoakridge.org or call (865) 482-1074.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Flattop House grand opening at the Children’s Museum set for July 26