Usually, a hidden ‘city’ is some kind of mystical place in a fantasy film or perhaps a treasure-filled trove in an Indiana Jones movie.
But in this case, it’s a real location where over 1,000 people work totally out of sight.
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, what is claimed to be the ‘World’s Largest Underground Business Complex’ sits 150 feet below surface level.
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SubTropolis boasts millions of square feet of space and homes workers doing all sorts of jobs - from working on cars to packing up food.
The unique mega workplace has been around since 1964 and was created through the mining of a believed to be 270-million-year-old limestone deposit.
Despite being far underground, SubTropolis is very brightly lit with 2.1 miles of railroad track and 10.5 miles of lighted, wide, paved roads.
It’s basically a network of wide tunnels and concrete flooring with spaces for lease so companies can take their work down there.
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No matter what time of year, SubTropolis maintains a steady 19-21C so workers needn’t worry about freezing winters.
Plus, anything that’s stored down there is protected from the elements and sensitive machinery won’t get too hot or too cold.
There really is quite the range of companies setting up shop down in this hidden ‘city’ of workers.
SubTropolis has the likes of E-commerce, pharmaceuticals, animal health, record storage and food distribution going on down there.
There is also ‘Automotive Alley’ which is home to Ford’s NAVLOS facility.
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The $50 million+ project is a combination of Hunt Midwest Business Center (HMBC) and SubTropolis which has ‘attracted new Ford Transit and F-150 upfitters to Kansas City’.
Initially, Ford moved into the space to store old vehicles and nowadays it mostly uses it for car customisation works.
The US Environmental Protection Agency leases space at the underground business complex, as does the US Post Office and the National Archives and Records Administration.
SubTropolis currently houses over 1,400,000 SF of governmental, archival and record storage tenants thanks to its ‘strict air quality, consistent climate control and 24/7 security’.
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Down in the complex there is all sorts stored - from federal court documents to the original film reels of The Wizard of Oz.
It's estimated there’s more than 1,000 employees working down there where over 55 international and national companies use the space.
SubTropolis is accessed by street level and those who are intrigued by the underground world are able to drive in for a nosy.
Jess Battison