# SubTropolis > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/SubTropolis > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/SubTropolis.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubTropolis > Source revision: 1355172138 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American underground space leasing corporation}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox cave | name = SubTropolis | photo = Subtropolis.jpg | photo_caption = SubTropolis | location = [Kansas City, Missouri](/source/Kansas_City%2C_Missouri), [United States](/source/United_States) | coords = {{coord|39.161213|-94.476242|region:US_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | depth = | length = | survey = | survey_format = | discovery = | geology = | entrance_count = | entrance_list = | difficulty = | hazards = | access = | translation = | language = | pronunciation = }} thumb|The interior of SubTropolis '''SubTropolis''' is a business complex located inside of a {{convert|14,000,000|ft2|m2|sing=on}}{{cite web |title=SubTropolis underground business complex |website=Hunt Midwest |url=https://huntmidwest.com/expertise/subtropolis/ |access-date=January 28, 2026}} [limestone](/source/limestone) mine in the bluffs north of the [Missouri River](/source/Missouri_River) in [Kansas City, Missouri](/source/Kansas_City%2C_Missouri). It was developed by late [Kansas City Chiefs](/source/Kansas_City_Chiefs) owner [Lamar Hunt](/source/Lamar_Hunt) via Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc., with the trademarked phrase ''World's Largest Underground Business Complex''. SubTropolis is up to {{convert|160|ft|m}} beneath the surface, dug into the [Bethany Falls limestone mine](/source/Bethany_Falls_limestone_mine). It has a grid of {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}}, {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} tunnels separated by {{convert|25|ft|m|adj=mid|-square}} limestone pillars created by the [room and pillar](/source/room_and_pillar) method of hard rock mining.{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2014 |title=What is SubTropolis |url=https://huntmidwest.com/industrial-space-for-lease/what-is-subtropolis/ |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Hunt Midwest |language=en-US |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104213714/https://huntmidwest.com/industrial-space-for-lease/what-is-subtropolis/ |url-status=live }} The complex contains almost {{convert|10.5|mi|km}} of illuminated, paved roads and several miles of railroad track. The mine naturally maintains year-round temperatures between {{convert|65|and|70|F|C}}. The [United States Postal Service](/source/United_States_Postal_Service) and the [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency](/source/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency) lease spaces within SubTropolis, the U.S. Postal Service for its collectible stamp operations and the Environmental Protection Agency for its Region-7 Training and Logistics Center.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-02-04/welcome-to-subtropolis-the-business-complex-buried-under-kansas-city |title=Welcome to Subtropolis The Business Complex Buried Under Kansas City |access-date=March 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216145933/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-02-04/welcome-to-subtropolis-the-business-complex-buried-under-kansas-city |url-status=live }} The [National Archives and Records Administration](/source/National_Archives_and_Records_Administration) leases space for a Federal Records Center.{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/frc/kansas-city |title=Kansas City, MO Federal Records Center |access-date=January 11, 2020 |archive-date=January 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111040135/https://www.archives.gov/frc/kansas-city |url-status=live}} On the surface of the north edge of the complex, Hunt developed the [Worlds of Fun](/source/Worlds_of_Fun) and [Oceans of Fun](/source/Oceans_of_Fun) amusement park complex.{{cite web |last=Nadis |first=Steve |title=SubTropolis, U.S.A. |website=The Atlantic |date=April 13, 2010 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/05/subtropolis-usa/308033/ |access-date=January 28, 2026}}{{cite web |last=Standlee |first=Emily |title=Kansas City underground: How to explore the hidden locations beneath our streets |website=KCUR |date=July 2, 2022 |url=https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-07-02/kansas-city-underground-how-to-explore-the-hidden-locations-beneath-our-streets |access-date=January 28, 2026}} His extensive business dealings in [Clay County](/source/Clay_County%2C_Missouri) contributed to the Chiefs establishing a training camp site at [Liberty](/source/Liberty%2C_Missouri)'s [William Jewell College](/source/William_Jewell_College) from 1963 until 1991. Other facilities exist that are similar to SubTropolis, although not on the same scale, such as the abandoned mine in [Butler, Pennsylvania](/source/Butler%2C_Pennsylvania) used by [Corbis](/source/Branded_Entertainment_Network) and the Federal Government for secure storage. The room and pillar mining method is used to extract limestone throughout the Midwest, and many companies are looking at ways to utilize the hundreds of millions of square feet created in this manner, such as for mushroom farming or crude oil stockpiling. == Origins == During the [last Ice Age](/source/Last_Glacial_Period), [glaciation](/source/Glacial_period) progressing as far as Northeastern [Kansas](/source/Kansas) and Northern [Missouri](/source/Missouri) reshaped the [Missouri River](/source/Missouri_River)'s path through the Northern and Central [Great Plains](/source/Great_Plains), causing it to overtake the [Kansas River](/source/Kansas_River) as the [main stem](/source/main_stem) [tributary](/source/tributary) of the [Mississippi](/source/Mississippi), and exposing substantial limestone deposits around the present-day [Kansas City metropolitan area](/source/Kansas_City_metropolitan_area).{{Cite web |title=Glaciers in Kansas |url=https://kgs.ku.edu/glaciers-kansas |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=[Kansas University](/source/Kansas_University) (kgs.ku.edu) |language=en}} Its presence led to the development of expansive [quarrying](/source/Quarry) operations from the mid-20th century onward.{{Cite web |date=2020-10-13 |title=Limestone - PUB2902 |url=https://dnr.mo.gov/print/document-search/pub2902 |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Missouri Department of Natural Resources}}{{Cite news |last=Carrns |first=Ann |date=1998-04-03 |title=Between a Rock and a Hard Place Toil the Mole People of Kansas City |url=http://proquest.com/docview/315591403/9167C271B10D4299PQ/3?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |access-date=2026-03-31 |work=[Asian Wall Street Journal](/source/Asian_Wall_Street_Journal) |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}}{{cite web |title=KC is a city of caves and tunnels. We dig into a reader's KC Q |website=Kansas City Public Library |date=December 12, 2018 |url=https://kclibrary.org/news/2018-12/kc-city-caves-and-tunnels-we-dig-reader%E2%80%99s-kc-q |access-date=January 28, 2026 |archive-date=August 4, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250804033745/https://kclibrary.org/news/2018-12/kc-city-caves-and-tunnels-we-dig-reader%E2%80%99s-kc-q |url-status=live }} Sideways tunneling into the hills surrounding Kansas City created an expansive network of underground chambers accessible at ground level between 12 and 15 feet in height, supported by pillars more than 24 feet wide. Demand for freezing and [refrigeration](/source/refrigeration) infrastructure in the 1950s and 60s led to the development of storage facilities in emptied limestone mines, making Kansas City a "central location for cold storage" during that period. ==History== SubTropolis was developed from limestone mines that supported Kansas City's construction and material industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The site that now comprises SubTropolis began in 1945 as a lateral mining operation east of present-day [I-435](/source/Interstate_435) in [Clay County, Missouri](/source/Clay_County%2C_Missouri) by Midwest Precote, a regional asphalt producer. As mining activity decreased, the site was repurposed by [Lamar Hunt](/source/Lamar_Hunt), then-owner of the [Dallas Texans](/source/Dallas_Texans_(NFL)) and [principal founder](/source/Foolish_Club) of the [American Football League](/source/American_Football_League), [Major League Soccer](/source/Major_League_Soccer), and the [Kansas City Chiefs](/source/Kansas_City_Chiefs). Hunt would become a chief investor in the Great Midwest Corporation, which purchased Midwest Precote in 1970 to develop emptied mining sites for commercial use.{{Cite web |title=A Legacy of Development {{!}} Hunt Midwest |url=https://huntmidwest.com/about-us/legacy/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=huntmidwest.com |language=en-US}} The first underground complex developed by the now-Hunt Midwest company opened for commercial use in 1964, utilizing the tunnels for good and equipment storage. The first tenant was a local construction company, which leased storage space for heavy machinery.{{Cite web |last=O'Dowd |first=Peter |date=2017-12-07 |title=Old Kansas City Limestone Mines Home To Everything From Pickup Trucks To Rare Stamps |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/12/07/subtropolis-kansas-city |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=www.wbur.org |language=en}} Early tenants included [Pillsbury](/source/Pillsbury_(brand)) and [Russell Stover Candies](/source/Russell_Stover_Candies). In the early 1970s, the [Ford Motor Company](/source/Ford_Motor_Company) leased 25 acres of the facility to store vehicle inventory.{{cite web |title=The Story of SubTropolis & KC's Limestone Caves |website=KC Yesterday |url=https://kcyesterday.com/articles/subtropolis |access-date=January 28, 2026 |archive-date=August 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250813142238/https://kcyesterday.com/articles/subtropolis |url-status=live }} In 1973, the [Worlds of Fun](/source/Worlds_of_Fun) amusement park was opened on a 300-acre site above the underground complex, receiving an [expansion](/source/Oceans_of_Fun) in 1982. 3 million square feet of commercial space had been developed by 1983, according to the company. In 1985, [Hunt Midwest Enterprises](/source/Hunt_Midwest_Enterprises) was formed from the merger of Great Midwest Corporation and Mid-America Enterprises, creating three subsidiaries, among them Hunt Midwest Mining, Inc., and Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc, which would come to handle the operation of SubTropolis's commercial holdings.{{Cite news |last=Graham |first=Bill |date=2001-10-30 |title=Northland workers' anthrax tests negative: [METROPOLITAN Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/259871624/9167C271B10D4299PQ/60?accountid=196403 |access-date=2026-03-31 |work=[Kansas City Star](/source/Kansas_City_Star) |pages=A4 |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}} The company sold Worlds of Fun and its expansion Oceans of Fun to [Cedar Fair Entertainment Company](/source/Cedar_Fair) in 1995, becoming a partial owner, and seating then-president and CEO Lee Derrough on its board.{{Cite news |last=Karash |first=Julius |date=1995-06-22 |title=Hunt Midwest eager to expand its mining, real estate projects: [METROPOLITAN Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/259484260/9167C271B10D4299PQ/74?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |access-date=2026-03-31 |work=[Kansas City Star](/source/Kansas_City_Star) |pages=B1 |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}} In the fall of 2001, 50 employees at a postal facility in the complex were tested for anthrax after handling mail from a [distribution center](/source/2001_anthrax_attacks) in [Brentwood, Washington D.C.](/source/Brentwood_(Washington%2C_D.C.)), where numerous individuals had been exposed to the virus, and 2 had died.{{Cite news |last=Bavley |first=Alan |date=2001-11-06 |title=More testing for anthrax at KC facility Postal workers to get more antibiotics: [METROPOLITAN Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/259904002/9167C271B10D4299PQ/90?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |work=[Kansas City Star](/source/Kansas_City_Star) |pages=A1 |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}} The workers were administered a course of antibiotics as a precaution, though no infection arose, and all further tests for the virus in facilities were negative.{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=Matt |date=2001-11-09 |title=Halt antibiotics, KC postal workers told: [METROPOLITAN Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/259860870/9167C271B10D4299PQ/101?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |work=[Kansas City Star](/source/Kansas_City_Star) |pages=A6 |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}}{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=Matt |date=2001-11-08 |title=Stamp center samples negative: [METROPOLITAN Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/259843070/9167C271B10D4299PQ/110?accountid=196403 |access-date=2026-03-31 |work=[Kansas City Star](/source/Kansas_City_Star) |pages=A9 |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}} == Operations == SubTropolis is home to key archival facilities for various U.S. government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Among them are a [distributor of last resort](/source/Underground_Vaults_%26_Storage) for major American film studios, a [NARA](/source/National_Archives_and_Records_Administration) [federal records center](/source/National_Archives_facilities),{{Cite web |date=2017-08-26 |title=Kansas City, MO Federal Records Center |url=https://www.archives.gov/frc/kansas-city |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=National Archives |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=National Archives Go Underground |url=https://bxjmag.com/national-archives-go-underground/ |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=Business Xpansion Journal |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2016-08-15 |title=The National Archives Goes Underground |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/spring/historian-frcs.html |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=National Archives |language=en}} a [United States Postal Service](/source/United_States_Postal_Service) storage facility which houses and distributes copies of every stamp ever produced, and a [W. W. Grainger](/source/W._W._Grainger) facility set to be the world's largest underground distribution center upon its completion in the summer of 2026.{{Cite web |date=2026-03-06 |title=Grainger expands in SubTropolis to have largest known underground distribution center |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2026/03/06/ww-grainger-project-gus-subtropolis-hunt-midwest.html |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=Kansas City Business Journal |language=en-US}} === Layout === SubTropolis is laid out in a grid pattern, with thousands of pillars spaced 40 feet apart dividing six miles of roadway and two miles of rail. Facilities are numbered by pillar, and most streets are named for geologic layers of limestone or [shale](/source/shale).{{Cite news |last=Nadis |first=Steve |date=2010-04-13 |title=SubTropolis, U.S.A. |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/05/subtropolis-usa/308033/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=The Atlantic |language=en |issn=2151-9463}} Roughly a tenth of SubTropolis is designated for commercial use, with mining operations continuing on the far edges of Hunt Midwest's holdings. It and other tunnel operators' caverns account for roughly 10% of all industrial space in the Kansas City metro area, totaling roughly 25 million square feet. This results in Kansas City having among the highest rates of mined-out cavern reusage in the world, and 90% of the world's subsurface office space as of 2010. === Financials and worker experience === The company started with roughly 4 million square feet of mined-out space, growing to encompass a roughly 14 million square foot complex by present day. Around the turn of the 21st century, roughly 4.3 million square feet of industrial and commercial space was being leased to 50 tenants, employing approximately 1,300 people.{{Cite news |last=Shafer |first=Sheldon |date=2003-08-28 |title=Headline: Developing Louisville's underground |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/241136233/9167C271B10D4299PQ/44?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |access-date=2026-03-31 |work=[Louisville Courier Journal](/source/Louisville_Courier_Journal) |via=[Proquest](/source/Proquest)}} By 2010, there were 55 tenants. By 2024, the number employed in SubTropolis exceeded 2,000, with leased space exceeding 6 million square feet.{{Cite journal |date=2024 |title=Digging Deeper: Assessing the Impact of Limestone Exploitation and Use Worldwide |journal=[Environments](/source/Environments_(journal)) |eissn=2076-3298 |via=[MDPI](/source/MDPI)}} Distance from the surface and a reliance on above-ground ventilation pose unique challenges to public life in a facility host to a diverse set of business and industrial operations. AM-FM radio signals cannot reach the complex, effectively cutting off workers' connection to the outside world unless companies elect to install receivers above-ground. Truck idling is prohibited within the facility to prevent the buildup of toxic fumes. === Sustainability === SubTropolis has been noted by several publications for its contributions towards sustainable industry in the Kansas City area, and held up as a potential model for other communities facing rising temperatures and increasing energy costs amid a changing climate. Leasing and operating costs are reported to be substantially lower than above-ground facilities, particularly [temperature control](/source/temperature_control), costs for which can be diminished by as much as 85%.{{Cite web |title=Subtropolis: Business Beneath the Ground |url=https://americanlifestylemag.com/life-culture/editorial/subtropolis-business-beneath-ground/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=American Lifestyle Magazine |language=en-US}} Hunt Midwest purports the complex to possess the largest [green roof](/source/green_roof) in the world.{{Cite web |title=SubTropolis Sustainability {{!}} Hunt Midwest |url=https://huntmidwest.com/expertise/subtropolis/sustainability/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=huntmidwest.com |language=en-US}} ==See also== * [Mega Cavern](/source/Mega_Cavern), a similar and smaller cavern in [Louisville, Kentucky](/source/Louisville%2C_Kentucky) ==References== {{reflist}} ===Bibliography=== *{{Cite web|url=https://today.com/video/go-inside-subtropolis-the-underground-city-housing-hollywood-treasures-cool-companies-786961987674| date=October 16, 2016 | title=Go inside 'SubTropolis', the underground city housing Hollywood treasures, 'cool' companies|website=TODAY.com | access-date=January 2, 2024}} *{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/05/01/smallbusiness/subtropolis-underground-businesses/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502055807/http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/01/smallbusiness/subtropolis-underground-businesses/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2015|title=Doing business 100 feet underground|first=Parija|last=Kavilanz|date=May 1, 2015|website=CNNMoney}} *{{cite news | newspaper=[Kansas City Star](/source/Kansas_City_Star) | title=LightEdge Solutions opens data center at Subtropolis underground business park | first=Kevin | last=Collision | date=April 15, 2014 | url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article345126.html | access-date=January 2, 2024}} ==External links== * [https://huntmidwest.com/expertise/subtropolis/ SubTropolis home site (Hunt Midwest)] * [https://huntmidwest.com/expertise/subtropolis/data-center-stc/ SubTropolis Technology Center home site (Hunt Midwest)] * {{youtube | channel=UCv1BK6kwAYVr5uZGzNUOmCg | title=Hunt Midwest}} Category:Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri Category:Landforms of Clay County, Missouri Category:Economy of Kansas City, Missouri Category:Subterranea of the United States Category:Warehouses in the United States Category:Buildings and structures in Missouri Category:Limestone industry --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SubTropolis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubTropolis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubTropolis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.