SubTropolis: A limestone mine turned underground business park
Are you someone who loves exploring all things geography? Well, you are at the right place. Today, we will talk about a limestone mine that turned into an underground business park. Sounds peculiar, right? Well, it is called SubTropolis and is located in Kansas City in Missouri, USA.
SubTropolis: A bird’s eye view
Now regarded as the world’s largest underground industrial complex, SubTropolis was originally a limestone mine, more specifically the Bethany Falls limestone mine. But let’s keep that aside for now and focus on the business park instead.
Okay, so, SubTropolis is spread across 6 million square feet (imagine 40 football stadiums together!) of usable space in an artificially constructed commercial cave near the shores of Missouri river. It is 16 feet high and 40 feet wide. In addition, SubTropolis also has convenient mode of transportation with 8 miles of roadways and 2 miles of railways connecting it to the city above.
It was built in the 1960s by entrepreneur and football major Lamar Hunt, who is better known as the owner of American football team Kansas City Chiefs. Today it is home to several businesses.
Why an underground business?
Well, it has got to do with climate. Wait what? Yes, having businesses underground is a plus as it cuts heating and cooling costs up to 85 per cent. In fact, this particular underground business park has an ideal temperature range of 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, suitable for most businesses. So, this makes SubTropolis the perfect setting for companies that deploy temperature sensitive machinery. Not only that, this business park is highly secure, meaning it is safe from most natural disasters. After all, it is surrounded by limestone, that is naturally six times stronger than concrete. Maybe that’s why, the US Postal Service stores most of their collectible stamps there, while the US Environmental Protection Agency use the business space as their Region-7 Training and Logistics Centre. There’s also another company called Underground Vaults and Storage that stores original reels of popular Hollywood movies such as Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz; not to forget the Federal Records Centre maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration that’s also down there.
Bethany Fall limestone mine at a glance
Originally deemed as Missouri’s limestone hub, the Bethany Falls limestone mine is now mostly turned into SubTropolis. However, it was earlier located near the Big Creek at the west of Kansas City. Interestingly, the falls no longer remain, but the area surrounding it is still rich in limestone, that is often used to build commercial spaces. The mine had got its name in 1862, when a geographer named G.C. Broadhead performed surveys in Missouri, in search of limestone reserves.