Lots of water pooling and etc. i wonder how much work it would take to fix it up.<p>I had a friend growing up who had a missile silo on the edge of their property.<p>Folks in the area never talked about them but everyone knew where they were. We would go look at it once in a while. Really eerie that out in this peaceful prairie was a horrific weapon just sleeping and waiting. Ready to go at all times. Pointed at folks on the other side of the planet nobody in the prairie knew or would likely ever meet.<p>After the Cold War they were decommissioning them. While driving out there I was waved down my an APC and some soldiers. I pulled over, they asked me to wait with them.<p>A couple convoys of more soldiers drove by, trucks, then a big convoy with a big white truck.<p>I asked “Was that the real thing?” The soldier said “They don’t bring us ALL out here unless it is.”<p>They thanked me for waiting and told me I could go after one more group when by.
In the early 2000s, there was a massive DEA bust involving a decomissioned missile silo turned into an LSD lab (which was apparently responsible for manufacturing 90% of the LSD on the market at the time). Other levels of the facility were turned into a massive party/tripping space - it's a fascinating story.<p>The man responsible (William Pickard) served quite some time in federal prison but was finally released sometime last year.<p>I'm sure there's no shortage of creative uses for a property like this.<p><a href="https://historydaily.org/skinner-pickard-1990s-lsd-lab-built-inside-underground-missile-silo" rel="nofollow">https://historydaily.org/skinner-pickard-1990s-lsd-lab-built...</a><p><a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/2-Bay-Area-Men-Busted-in-Big-LSD-Lab-Raid-Pair-3237712.php" rel="nofollow">https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/2-Bay-Area-Men-Busted...</a>
There are much better underground bunkers for sale. AT&T had chains of underground bunkers they operated for DoD. Many of those are for sale. Here's one.[1]<p>These are much more useful. No silo, mostly big high-ceiling areas sized for telephone switches. 3-phase power. Onsite well. These were only shut down a decade or two ago, so they're often in good shape. They're all far from cities, because the whole point was to have backup network nodes that were unlikely to be attacked.<p>[1] <a href="https://homeslandcountrypropertyforsale.com/sustainable-properties/properties/underground-facility-22225-state-hwy-m-paris-mo-65275/" rel="nofollow">https://homeslandcountrypropertyforsale.com/sustainable-prop...</a>
Compare with this "Luxury Titan II Nuclear Missile Complex" Airbnb to see its full potential :)<p><a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/45816677" rel="nofollow">https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/45816677</a>
Heh, underground entrance looks EXACTLY like our entrance within our smaller data center premises here in Riga, a former soviet nuclear shelter. In our case, there is exact same thing on the opposite side. It is designed that way because it lets explosive blast escape the the other doors...<p>Here you can see, that "brother entrance" is on the other side. <a href="http://tour.deac.eu/Grizinkalns.html" rel="nofollow">http://tour.deac.eu/Grizinkalns.html</a><p>Except, we currently don't maintain it to a level that is required to withstand nuclear war, so sorry if you ever wanted those guarantees...
<i>"This facility has lots of potential in whatever way you choose to go. A home, apartments or a Bed and Breakfast are just some ideas."</i><p>I laughed out loud at the bread and breakfast idea after seeing the photos.
Given the water intrusion it is a full rebuild and a lot of renovation ... but on the plus side if you wanted a bunker $380k for 11 acres plus all the concrete and digging already done might be a good deal. I would get it inspected for cracks. Cracks will have to be fixed correctly or mold will be a serious health problem. It looks to be in better shape than some remote military sites I worked at given the age. Assume 100% of heating and electrical needs to be replaced. Flush every toilet and have the septic inspected. I wont disgust anyone out with those stories.<p>Most importantly it would also need to be inspected for chemical contamination both in the facility and in the soil. Many of the sites I worked at had to be entirely destroyed and all the soil chemically treated costing millions in treatment alone with drilling and pump trucks. Ask to see the paperwork from the military from when this property was transitioned.
Atlas silos coming up for sale isn't uncommon. I spent an inordinate of time in my early 20s researching those that were for sale at the time because it sounded like something unique and fun at the time to take on. I never did, but looking at some of the websites that are still online is still good fun [0], [1], [2]. Plenty of them have been restored and there are other classes or facilities as well. An Atlas E as an example [3].<p>[0] <a href="http://silohome.com/atlas_f_for_sale_southwest_.htm" rel="nofollow">http://silohome.com/atlas_f_for_sale_southwest_.htm</a>
[1] <a href="http://www.siloworld.net/SITES%20FOR%20SALE/SitesForSale.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.siloworld.net/SITES%20FOR%20SALE/SitesForSale.htm</a>
[2] <a href="http://atlasmissilesilo.com/" rel="nofollow">http://atlasmissilesilo.com/</a>
[3] <a href="http://www.missilesitehome.com/MissileSiteHome.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.missilesitehome.com/MissileSiteHome.html</a>
I kinda hope that bike shop is incorporated into the silo just like that farmhouse in Wargames [0]<p>[0] <a href="https://youtu.be/8-T_uhQ0iE4" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/8-T_uhQ0iE4</a>
In an earlier thread about free to low cost property, it was mentioned that Kansas has high property taxes, so that might bite you on this silo.<p>Would you take free land in rural America?<p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30138545" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30138545</a>
There's one of these in New Mexico converted into an airbnb.<p><a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/46711243" rel="nofollow">https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/46711243</a>
I’ve long dreamed of having one of these for a house! However I think that in reality the house would own me. Most of these missile silos were insulated with asbestos - you can work around that but I think that is well beyond a typical DIY project. Ground water penetration would also be an ongoing concern, you have to be vigilant and deferred maintenance would catch up to you quickly. Any maintenance issues that can’t be resolved internally and require digging down from above would be costly. Typical home warranty probably won’t cover anything.<p>But for a few years it would be really sweet just the same! Just expect it to be a depreciating asset going in.
Gotta watch out for deep crows [1], of course.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/10/10/" rel="nofollow">https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/10/10/</a>
It may only have been up on Zillow this time for 4 days, but the streetview shows a real estate sign, so this isn't the first time they've attempted to sell, or it's a resale.<p>IMO it's priced about $350K too high.
Check out Command & Control, documentary on the Damascus Titan explosion.<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_explosion" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_...</a>
Re asbestos: as long as it is encapsulated or covered over it shouldn't be an issue as a practical matter. I would worry about air quality, water intrusion, etc.
I wish the trend of selling these things would stop. They should be designated superfund sites. no one should buy them.<p>- these are 50s era missile silos with limited regulation. youll need full asbestos and lead abatement. some fixtures or objects may not be capable of any abatement at all.<p>- the fire suppression system likely isnt pendant/water based like a normal home. youre going to need to maintain dry standpipe/halon systems or rip them out and replace them. Halon is toxic and depletes the ozone layer.<p>- there will be some parts of your home you absolutely will not inhabit and may require a site survey. Expect leftover chromium based chemicals, leaded fuels and lead contaminated chemicals like cosmoline, industrial adhesives and cleaners, and even hydrazine itself.<p>- youll may need a specialty electrician and plumber every time something goes wrong. HVAC in a silo is a million dollar system designed to cope with thermonuclear war. you will definitely need to replace some or all of it.<p>- water in silos is common and requires a full time sump system. whatever standing water you encounter will almost certainly be contaminated.