A long time ago, man thought that no one can survive a nuclear attack except for one tiny, hair-tingling organism: the cockroach.
Of course, who’s to say that someday, the human species will come up with an ingenious way to beat those gnarly pests to shame? With two underground levels that can beat any hailstorms, tornadoes, nuclear bombs, hurricanes, and even possibly a zombie apocalypse, there is now a house that can make James Bond long to live a life of domestic, monogamous bliss — even for just a short time.
The house we’re talking about is the Silo Home.
Once considered an abandoned nuclear launch pad in the 1950’s, the Silo Home was previously built to enclose an Atlas-F intercontinental ballistic missile. It was converted into a 3,900-square-foot subterranean luxury estate and is now being sold on the market for a quarter of a million.
The History of Silo Home
The house is set on more than 19 forested acres surrounding the Adirondack State Park. It started during the Cold War days, when the United States started developing the Atlas missile systems A through F. One was placed in Saranac, which would later become the Silo Home.
Known as the Atlas F missile, it was contained in an underground missile silo that was connected straight to the missile launch control center. The structure underground was built out of concrete together with epoxy resin and 600 tons of steel bars. Many consider the Atlas F structure to be “one of the strongest structures built by man.”
When the silos were decommissioned in 1965 and determined “nuclear radioactive” free, many of its land were auctioned off by the government, including the missile home. It was purchased by the present owners who were cousins. They spent two decades changing the silo into a livable home, even adding a “decoy” house on top of the control center in addition to a private airstrip right in front of the house.
The Silo Home
Today, the “decoy” house contains 2,000-square-feet of living space, complete with a kitchen and a bedroom. However, the real action goes down below. The main living area, which is around 3,000-square-feet, is 40 feet below the ground, within the command center location. Touches on a keypad will reveal a 125-foot stairwell that will lead you to two converted floors that are made of three-inch concrete and steel. It includes a modern kitchen, a dining room, an entertainment room, four bedrooms, and three bathrooms that are marble-lined, complete with a luxurious Jacuzzi.
Beyond these levels, you will find a pair of thick, 2,000-lbs blast door that will lead to a 50-foot tunnel that was once used to access the actual missile silo. It is this nine-level cylindrical structure, which measures 50-feet and 185-feet below the surface that is said to withstand a nuclear attack – or any kind of attack, for that matter.
Once featured in AOL and Forbes, the luxury house is now on the market for a reasonable price of $750,000. It is actually quite a bargain, especially since you’ll be living a bit like James Bond. According to Zillow, the monthly cost of the house is around $2,772 in addition to the 20 percent down payment on a 30-year mortgage.
