8/13/2023 0 Comments Pictures of old silos![]() ![]() The missile would have originally sat in the space beyond the railing… We continued through yet another huge door…īeside it, cables connecting the launch control room to the silo would have passed through these openings: Reverse on the door: these doors would all be latched shut in the event of a launch: We continued down the main staircase to the bottom floor:įrom there, we passed through another enormous steel door… I’m not sure why, but circular rooms centered around enormous cement columns have such a definitive retro-by-way-of-1950’s-futurism feel:Ī winding staircase was installed by the new owners…īut now for the good stuff: the silo. A lot of cool ornamentation remains though, like these original lighting fixtures: Sadly, the military ripped out anything of proprietary value from the launch control and silo, including the computers. In fact, this particular silo, which opened in 1962 and closed in 1965, was never even equipped with a missile. And yet by the mid-1960’s, all of the Atlas facilities were decommissioned, rendered obsolete by the next generation Titan II rocket (and later, the Nuclear Arms treaty). ![]() Meanwhile, this is the countdown monitor panel, located on one of the banks of computers in the background of the picture above:Ī facility like this cost around $18,000,000 in 1958, nearly $400,000,000 in today’s dollars. I’m curious if this phone was also involved – it looks like you’d insert a key to “Commit.” I’m not exactly sure which one is the launch button – click below for a much larger picture: While skimming through the 537 page Atlas base instruction manual (of course there was a manual! Click here to read it – 29mb PDF), I came across a schematic of the computer layout complete with labels. That’s an actual Atlas-F Launch Control Center pictured above. Picture courtesy of – Click for more about US Missile Silos! See the tube marked Escape Hatch? The original escape hatch is still there to this day, and actually was one of the easiest ways of loading building materials in and out of the complex during renovations:īut of course, the real question is: what did the missile launch computer look like? Here it is, courtesy of the insanely informative site. To get a sense of where we are in the facility, here’s a schematic of the launch control center (we entered down that long staircase, passed through the blast doors, and continued into launch control): Hundreds of such launch sites were built throughout the United States, including 12 Atlas F facilities in the Plattsburgh area. Our first stop was the former launch control room, which has been renovated by the owners into a multi-story living space.īack in the 1960’s, this would have been filled with computers used to launch and guide an intercontinental ballistic missile armed with a nuclear warhead in the event of, well, Armageddon ala Dr. Here, you find yourself at the top of a cement staircase, which takes you to both the missile launch control room and the 9-story silo: There are not one but two blast doors at the entrance to the facility: I immediately contacted the owners, who graciously provided me with a tour which I am thrilled to present below. Why would you need a 2,000 pound steel blast door in the middle of the Adirondacks?īecause this particular house was built on the site of a 9-story Cold War-era Atlas F underground missile launch site – and it’s still there:īackstory: I was in upstate New York over Christmas break when I read an article in the local paper about a man who had purchased a decommissioned 1960’s missile launch site in 1995, built a few houses and an airstrip on the property, and was now looking to sell it ( $750k and it’s yours! click here!), or perhaps lease it for film production use. …leading to a 2,000 pound steel blast door: …revealing a long staircase surrounded by cement walls… If you were to enter the correct keycode, the door would swing open… It’s about then you might notice the keypad on the wall beside the door, and perhaps become curious about what was on the other side. ![]() But if you were to try the door, you’d find it locked. Just about the last thing you’d notice is this door:Īfter all, it seems like nothing other than a closet, or maybe a door to the basement. …with enormous windows offering breathtaking views of the surrounding Saranac Valley: Inside, the spacious living room is indeed a cozy place to escape the winter’s cold… When you first see it in the distance, you wouldn’t think it anything other than a picturesque home in the Adirondacks:Īs you head for the door, chopped wood piled high around the porch almost invites you in to warm up over a roaring fire. As always, all pictures are my own work, and I don’t think you’ll find a tour like this anywhere else. Quick note: Though you may have read about this property before, most articles have simply reprinted the same stock real estate photos over and over. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |