From nuclear missile silo to Airbnb rental
ESKRIDGE, KANSAS — A Cold War-era missile silo in rural northeast Kansas that housed a nuclear warhead 65 years ago and was later converted into an underground mansion is now finding a new lease on life as an Airbnb location.
The Subterra Castle Airbnb opened for business about six months ago. It's in rural Wabaunsee County, about 15 miles southwest of Topeka.
Airbnbs are privately owned residences that are offered online for short-term rental. Matthew Fulkerson, the 37-year-old host for Subterra, told The Topeka Capital-Journal it was his idea to turn the site into an Airbnb. Fulkerson is a neighbor of Subterra's owners, Ed and Dianna Peden, who have lived in the converted missile base since 1994 and are on board with the Airbnb idea.
More than being a place for people to stay when passing through Kansas, Fulkerson said he has a bigger vision for the site. "I see it as becoming a destination," he said, adding that the base has already been featured in several media outlets.
In addition to a main-floor bedroom, Airbnb guests at Subterra will have a full kitchen, private bathroom, laundry services and a fireplace which gives a "nice, cozy feeling in the fall and winter months," Fulkerson said.
He said he and the Pedens "are considering using both apartments upstairs and down" should Airbnb traffic pick up, "especially because some people really want the experience of sleeping underground."
Fulkerson said Subterra is the first and currently the only Airbnb located in a converted missile silo.
