English: This building originally housed the electrical generator for the Los Alamos Ranch School. After the establishment of the Manhattan Project, the Power House became George Kistiakowsky’s home.

Kistiakowsky brought a wealth of knowledge about explosives to Project Y. He joined the team to investigate the feasibility of developing an implosion-type weapon using shaped explosive charges. Before joining the Manhattan Engineering District, Kistiakowsky had already built a colorful resume. His achievements included the development of an edible, explosive compound nicknamed “Aunt Jemima,” designed for smuggling across borders disguised as harmless flour.

When he arrived at the Manhattan Project, Kistiakowsky reorganized the team working on implosion studies and began developing shaped explosive lenses. His explosives expertise and leadership eventually led to the creation of the implosion-type test device, known as the Gadget, and the plutonium-fueled Fat Man weapon dropped on Nagasaki.