Jorgensen Research Building

Located on the campus of the United States Academy of Extranormal Studies on the opposite edge of the Academy Forest from the USAES Old Campus, the Jorgensen Research Building, or 'JRC' , is the location of the USAES Mental Enhancement Program.

The building is seven stories tall, with three subterranean floors (the bottom floor is designed for high-level psionic testing, and is therefore built to specifications closely resembling Zero Area). The top two floors of the JRC are residence floors; they are reinforced in construction, with special dampener systems and other security systems to accommodate cadets and other individuals who have severe psionic power-control issues and need to be placed in protective quarters for the safety of themselves and others.

Construction of the building was begun in 1960 and completed in July 1962. The JRC was built to replace the Altorfer Sciences Hall, which was all but destroyed by an F4 tornado on March 18, 1925 (during the tornado outbreak that spawned the infamous Tri-State Tornado. The tornado damaged several buildings on campus, including the Administration Hall (which was also severely damaged); the destruction was the impetus for a massive rebuilding effort that reshaped the Academy and almost tripled the size of the campus.

The Jorgensen Research Building is designated as a Level 4 secure emergency shelter, where cadets and others can seek shelter in the event of any emergency situation. (Level 4 shelters are built to allow persons to survive anything short of a direct hit from nuclear weapons for indefinite periods.) In addition to existing safeguards, the emergency systems in the JRC are designed to be reinforced by Academy staff or cadets who have forcefield-generation abilities (should the need arise).

There have been three major renovations to the JRC since its construction; in the early 1960s, the mid-1980s and in the mid-2000s.

President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy (the U.S. Attorney General) were in attendance at the official re-opening of the building on August 1, 1962, after the JRC's first major renovation. This was considered an especially prestigious event, as both Kennedy brothers were psi-actives (this is still considered an 'open secret' from the general public) and were met with open arms by the psi-active personnel. The 1962 renovation also included the construction of a helicopter landing area large enough to support the largest helicopters currently in existence, as well as any J/STOL aircraft (such as the Gridrunner-A aircraft used by members of National Legion Chapter #1). This are has been renovated with current upgrades and improvements during each of the subsequent renovations of the JRC.

In the second major renovation (which went from January 1984 to May 1985), additions included a small cafeteria with 24 hour service, three personal holo-chambers (on the fifth floor) for use by individuals or small groups), a small lecture hall (it seats 250 people) which can also be used for conferences and viewings of films and other material, and two lounge areas (one on the first floor and one on the fifth). The first-floor main lounge has been said to resemble a comfortable hunting lodge, with large, oversized chairs and couches, hardwood floors, and a pair of large, luxurious fireplaces.

A decades-long tall tale concerning the JRC is that it was built on its location expressly for the purpose of annoying the faculty and cadets of the USAES Mystical Enhancement Program, as they have had a rivalry with the program all the way back to the founding of the Academy, when the psi-active cadets were part of the now-disbanded USAES Special Communications Program.