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On July 12, 1974, the USGS National Center building in Reston, Virginia, was officially named the John Wesley Powell Federal Building in honor of the second director of the USGS. The dedication of the USGS National Center marked an important milestone. The building is more than a physical space; it symbolizes the culmination of nearly 20 years of planning and negotiations to consolidate survey activities into a single, modern facility designed to foster scientific collaboration and innovation.
At the dedication ceremony, then-USGS Director Vincent E. McKelvey emphasized the new building’s historic significance. “The completion of this fine building marks the realization of John Wesley Powell’s personal dream of a national geological survey center,” McKelvey said, noting that Powell was the first to draw up plans for the survey building, which he envisioned as a rectangular structure near the Smithsonian. “No doubt he would be surprised to find us here, but we can be sure he would be pleased to see the vitality of the organization he helped to create,” McKelvey added. McKelvey’s pioneering work in mineral resource classification and his emphasis on fuel resource research at the USGS established foundational principles that continue to guide current energy and mineral mission areas, driving advances in resource assessment and sustainable development.
The dedication ceremony was a joyous occasion, with bands performing and speeches by notable figures, including then-Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton. Morton emphasized the critical role of minerals in the nation’s future development, stating, “This mission involves providing as many goods, services, housing, schools, food, and transportation as has been done throughout the nation’s history.” He further emphasized the enormous future demand for minerals, stating, “By the year 2000, we expect demand for aluminum to be eight times what it is today; demand for copper to increase nearly fourfold; use of chromium to increase 2-1/2 times; demand for phosphorus to increase perhaps threefold; and demand for uranium to increase 15 times. Our need for water will at least double.” Morton emphasized that the growing gap between consumption and domestic production required a renewed focus on mineral science and technology, as well as a strategic approach to resource management.
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