Luxury converted nuclear missile silo lists on Airbnb

ESKRIDGE, Kan. -- 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 finding a new lease on life as an Airbnb location.

The Subterra Castle Airbnb opened for business about six months ago. It's located in rural Wabaunsee County, about 15 miles southwest of Topeka, Kansas, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

Airbnbs are privately owned residences that are offered online for short-term rental.

Matthew Fulkerson, 37, is the host for Subterra, and said 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.

Mathew Fulkerson and his wife Leigh Ann pose at their Subterra Airbnb located in a former underground missile silo base near Eskridge, Kansas.Thad Allton ~ The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP

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 the base already has 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 that 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 the only Airbnb in a converted missile silo.

Mathew Fulkerson and his wife Leigh Ann appear in the great room at their Subterra Airbnb.Thad Allton ~ The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP