SubTropolis
Encyclopedia
SubTropolis is a 55,000,000 square foot (5,060,000 m³), 1100 acres (4.5 km²) manmade cave
in the bluffs above the Missouri River
in Kansas City, Missouri
, United States
that is claimed to be the world's largest underground storage facility.
Developed by late Kansas City Chiefs
owner Lamar Hunt
via Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc., it has trademarked the phrase World's Largest Underground Business Complex.
Dug into the Bethany Falls limestone
mine SubTropolis is at places 160 feet (48.8 m) beneath the surface. It has a grid of 16 ft (4.9 m) high, 40 ft (12.2 m) wide tunnels separated by 25 ft (7.6 m) square limestone pillars created by the room and pillar method of hard rock mining. The complex contains almost seven miles (11 km) of illuminated, paved roads and several miles of railroad track. Currently 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m³) is occupied and 10,000,000 square feet (920,000 m³) are "improved." About 3.2 acres (12,950 m²) of available space are added each year as active mining continues.
The mine naturally maintains temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 °C) year-round. The United States Postal Service
and the United States Environmental Protection Agency
lease spaces within SubTropolis, the United States Postal Service
for its collectible stamp
operations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their Region-7 Training and Logistics Center.
On the north edge of the complex Hunt developed the Worlds of Fun
and Oceans of Fun
amusement park complex. Hunt's extensive business dealings in Clay County contributed to the Chiefs having their NFL Training Camp
at William Jewell College
in Liberty, Missouri
until 1991.
Other facilities like SubTropolis exist although not on the same scale, such as the abandoned mine in Butler, Pennsylvania
used by Corbis
and the US Federal Government for secure storage. As the room and pillar mining method is used to extract limestone throughout the Midwest, many companies are looking at ways to utilize the hundreds of millions of square feet created in this manner for everything from mushroom
farming to crude oil stockpiling.
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
in the bluffs above the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that is claimed to be the world's largest underground storage facility.
Developed by late Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
owner Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
via Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc., it has trademarked the phrase World's Largest Underground Business Complex.
Dug into the Bethany Falls limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
mine SubTropolis is at places 160 feet (48.8 m) beneath the surface. It has a grid of 16 ft (4.9 m) high, 40 ft (12.2 m) wide tunnels separated by 25 ft (7.6 m) square limestone pillars created by the room and pillar method of hard rock mining. The complex contains almost seven miles (11 km) of illuminated, paved roads and several miles of railroad track. Currently 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m³) is occupied and 10,000,000 square feet (920,000 m³) are "improved." About 3.2 acres (12,950 m²) of available space are added each year as active mining continues.
The mine naturally maintains temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 °C) year-round. The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
and the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
lease spaces within SubTropolis, the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
for its collectible stamp
Stamp collecting
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with the number of collectors in the United States alone estimated to be over 20 million.- Collecting :...
operations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their Region-7 Training and Logistics Center.
On the north edge of the complex Hunt developed the Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...
and Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun is a tropically-themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate Worlds of Fun's 10th year anniversary. At the time it was opened it was the largest water park in the world. It is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. Oceans of Fun is...
amusement park complex. Hunt's extensive business dealings in Clay County contributed to the Chiefs having their NFL Training Camp
NFL Training Camp
In the National Football League, training camp refers to the time before the season commences. During this time, teams will sometimes congregate at an outside location, usually a university, to conduct training camp for at least the first few weeks. This is similar to baseball's spring...
at William Jewell College
William Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,100 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders, including Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the...
in Liberty, Missouri
Liberty, Missouri
Liberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2007 population estimate, the city population was 29,993...
until 1991.
Other facilities like SubTropolis exist although not on the same scale, such as the abandoned mine in Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
used by Corbis
Corbis
Corbis Corporation is an American company, based in Seattle, Washington, that licenses the rights to photographs, footage and other visual media...
and the US Federal Government for secure storage. As the room and pillar mining method is used to extract limestone throughout the Midwest, many companies are looking at ways to utilize the hundreds of millions of square feet created in this manner for everything from mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
farming to crude oil stockpiling.
SubTropolis Tenants
SubTropolis is used by around 50 businesses and organizations, including:- Grantham UniversityGrantham UniversityGrantham University is a for-profit university based in Kansas City, Missouri, that offers degree programs online via distance education. It was founded in 1951...
- Mail PrintMail PrintMail Print, Inc. is a direct marketing and variable data printing company located in Kansas City, Missouri. The company's customers include national franchises and organizations, and include more than 14,000 users of their "Marketing Communications Portal" product.-Company history:Mail Print was...
- Vanguard Packaging
- Fiorella's Jack Stack BarbecueFiorella's Jack Stack BarbecueFiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue is a small chain of barbecue restaurants, catering, private dining facilities, and nationwide shipper of barbecue located in the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Missouri.- Early history :...
- United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
- Hallmark CardsHallmark CardsHallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
- Paris Brothers
- Hantover
- Clore Automotive
- Transglobal
- EarthWorks/Learning Exchange
- Jaeger's Subsurface Paintball