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Cold War-era missile silo in rural Lincoln County, Washington, is being sold for $1.45 million after its owner's death. The Atlas E missile silo, built in the 1950s and decommissioned in 1965, boasts 12,500 square feet of space with a nearly 2,000-square-foot living area underground. The structure was designed to withstand a nuclear blast and features reinforced steel construction.

    David McIntyre purchased the silo in 1991 and renovated it over the years, adding amenities such as a pingpong table and basketball hoop. His daughter, Chandra Spary, said her father wasn't a doomsday prepper but rather fascinated by living underground. The property has attracted potential buyers interested in various uses, including energy development, cryptocurrency, and mushroom farming.

    The silo's unique features include electric, propane, and oil heating systems, as well as mounted air units for cooling. It is currently zoned for residential use, although Spary notes that most preppers are not equipped to utilize the space effectively. The property has been listed on Zillow since December and has garnered interest from a range of potential buyers.

    In contrast to the missile silo, Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood features the nation's first fallout shelter built into a freeway. This shelter was designed to accommodate up to 300 people in the event of a nuclear attack but is now vacant after being repurposed as a storage facility. Washington state passed a law in 1984 banning spending on mass evacuations and fallout shelters, citing the assumption that nuclear war would be unsurvivable.

    David McIntyre died in 2023 while working on the silo's property, surrounded by his life's work. His daughter said he wanted to die at the silo, which had become a decades-long project for him.