An amazing piece of history can be found hiding away underneath Idaho’s capital city, and it’s even for sale. Constructed during the height of the Cold War, what’s been commonly referred to as the Boise Bomb Shelter was in fact the country’s very first fallout shelter. Over the decades it’s been used for storage space and even band rehearsals, but it’s on the market once again and looking for a new owner. So, if you’ve got a two million dollars laying around, you can consider making this amazing piece of history all yours! We hear it’s structurally sound, and very spacious.
Although referred to as the Boise Bomb Shelter, this underground structure off of Bogus Basin Road is technically a fallout shelter. In fact, it was America's first fallout shelter at the time of its construction during the Cold War-era, and it could be all yours for a cool $2.1 million.
It was 1961 when President John F. Kennedy declared that the United States government would start building fallout shelters around the country. Funded by the Federal Civil Defense Agency, Boise's was the very first and it was constructed for $122,000.
Originally called the "Highlands Community Fallout Shelter," the structure was a prototype for thousands of others to be built across the nation. The underground concrete building was designed to accommodate multiple families during the event of a nuclear attack. Families could gain access to the shelter for just $100.
Comprised of two stories and 14,000-square-feet, the shelter was created from steel reinforced concrete. It contained a diesel generator, kitchen, dormitories, and even decontamination showers. It was quite the big deal when Idaho governor Robert E. Smylie cut the ribbon all those decades ago!
Nuclear fallout obviously never came, so the shelter sat empty for over a decade before being purchased by the School District of Boise City. It was then used as storage and administrative offices until 2001. The shelter was purchased once again in 2003 by Jon P. Farren, who currently rents it out for music rehearsals.
Now, Farren is looking to sell the historic structure to a new aspiring fallout shelter owner. Currently listed on Zillow for $2.1 million, it's described as a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home that is "very energy efficient" and boasts a "great view from the top of the building."
It may cost quite a bit more than the average Boise home, but you truly can't put a price on this unique landmark. If you've got a large family and are worried about nuclear fallout in the future, this may just be your dream home! If anything, it's an amazing piece of history and we can't wait to see what becomes of it.
Did you know about this fallout shelter hiding away in Boise, Idaho? You never know what strange history you’ll stumble across next in our state. For more interesting historical tidbits, check out 8 Weird Facts About Idaho History You Probably Didn’t Know.
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