{"nrhp_refnum":"04000466","name":"Santeetlah Hydroelectric Development","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Dam-Hwy NC 1247, Powerhouse-1277 Farley Branch Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Robbinsville","county":"Graham County","state":"NC","lat":35.39133596950006,"lon":-83.87280556465149,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-05-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Architecture","Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A hydroelectric development in Graham County, North Carolina, on the Cheoah and Little Tennessee Rivers, consisting of a dam, gatehouse, pipeline and tunnels, surge tank, penstocks, and a powerhouse with ancillary buildings. It was built in 1926-1928 as part of the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project for Alcoa.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the development is significant under criterion A for its role in the industrial development of the region and its power supply to Alcoa's aluminum plants, and under criterion C for the engineering of its dam, which was among the first in the country to use water-cement ratio and vibratory tampers for concrete quality. The powerhouse is described as a notable Classical Revival industrial building that retains its original character.","narrative":"Built between 1926 and 1928 on the Cheoah and Little Tennessee Rivers in Graham County, the Santeetlah Hydroelectric Development supplied power to Alcoa's aluminum works in Tennessee. Its central dam combines gravity and arch construction and stands 212 feet high. The powerhouse, housing two Francis turbines with a combined capacity of 45 MW, is built of concrete and Flemish bond brick with cast concrete Doric capitals and terra cotta trim. A five-mile pipeline and tunnel system carries water from the reservoir to the powerhouse, ending at a steel surge tank about 550 feet above the river. The complex is significant for its engineering, since the dam was among the first in the country to control concrete quality with water-cement ratio measurements and vibratory tampers. Its industrial architecture and the retention of original features across the dam, gatehouse, and powerhouse add to its value. The mountain setting has changed little since completion, and the facility remains part of Alcoa's regional hydroelectric system.","period_of_significance":"1928-1953","architect_builder":"BUILDER: Power & Engineering Group of Alcoa, Pittsburgh, PA","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The primary structures retain a high degree of original design and the surrounding landscape has little residential or commercial development. Some later additions, including a 1990 rooftop equipment building on the surge tank building, are noted as non-contributing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:40.779167-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/51/7178/47717851/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/04000466.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000466/0e22d4d274-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000466/0e22d4d274-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jkmeeder","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santeetlah_Dam.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jkmeeder</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santeetlah_Dam.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47717851","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santeetlah_Dam","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7420114"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/graham-county/santeetlah-hydroelectric-development-04000466/"}