Atlas Missile Silo Home

The control center of an Atlas nuclear missile silo, this was where defense workers awaited orders to initiate an intercontinental ballistic missile strike. Now decommissioned, it has been repurposed into a dwelling for buyers who value maximum security and can shell out a six-figure sum. 

Built in 1960, the base sits on an 8.3-acre parcel of land in the town of Saranac, N.Y., roughly 50 miles south of the Canadian border.

While the silo no longer houses a nuclear warhead, the property still gives off the vibe of a Cold War era military installation with its mostly spartan interior. 

Much of the facility’s original equipment remains intact, stark reminders of a world on the brink of nuclear war. Control panels and clocks that display the time on three continents adorn the space along with more domestic furnishings, like a kitchen table emblazoned with the international hazard symbol for radiation.  

Though the complex boasts 3,000 square feet of space, with one bath and one bedroom, it would be difficult to house more than a small family. On the plus side, much of the visible portion of the property is obscured by the forest that surrounds it, affording privacy to the home’s inhabitants. 

The home is on the market for a cool $750,000, a bargain considering that the facility was constructed to withstand the fury of a nuclear detonation.