A former Cold War fallout shelter in rural Nova Scotia is being transformed into luxury condominiums for elite clients seeking refuge from global crises.
Project co-owner Paul Mansfield says renovation of the two-storey, underground bunker started less than a year ago, but the project has already attracted attention from several well-heeled buyers. The price range for the 50 condos is a secret — unless the vetting process determines you can afford one.
A former Cold War fallout shelter in rural Nova Scotia is being transformed into luxury condominiums for elite clients seeking refuge from global crises.
Project co-owner Paul Mansfield says renovation of the two-storey, underground bunker started less than a year ago, but the project has already attracted attention from several well-heeled buyers. The price range for the 50 condos is a secret — unless the vetting process determines you can afford one.
In the event of a nuclear war, no family members were allowed to enter.
Decommissioned in the 1990s, most of the bunkers were sealed off or destroyed, federal officials say. One of them, however, is still being used for offices, classrooms and accommodations at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, north of Quebec.
As well, a much larger Diefenbunker, built west of Ottawa in Carp, Ont., in 1961, now serves as “Canada’s Cold War Museum.”
As for the Nova Scotia bunker, it was opened for public tours in the late 1990s, followed by a transformation into a secure data storage centre.
Its current owner, blockchain expert Jonathan Baha’i, bought the building in 2012. Aside from data storage, Baha’i started staging public events the following year, which included laser tag, e-sports and, in 2019, an elaborate escape room with a Cold War theme. But the gaming ventures were sunk by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2022, much of the bunker remained idle until Baha’i and Mansfield hatched their condo plan and renovations started this year.
The launch of the ambitious project prompted a high-end rebranding. The bunker’s latest incarnation is known as The Diefenbaker. The tag line on its slick brochure: “Luxury Safe Haven.”
“We’re going back to the original purpose, but for a different clientele,” Mansfield says.
The marketing is aimed at those seeking an “exclusive leadership community” committed to “protecting the promise of tomorrow.”…
Read or listen to the full article here.
Leave a Reply