HN Explorer

Ask HN: What should I do with 120,000 Sq. Ft in Butte America?

4 points by client4 ↗ HN
I have the ability to purchase a 120,000 Sq.Ft building in Butte, Montana that was formerly office space. The space is ripe with potential, but I also need to cover the ~$15,000-$20,000 monthly operating costs. So far we have a couple of code schools and local non-tech firms committed to using the space, but what else should/can we do? I should mention the space has a datacenter and we intend on bringing in a 10 Gbps connection to the building, and houses in Butte are highly affordable. Yes, there is a giant toxic mine near the city, but it's mostly contained ;)

# Some ideas we have tossed around: Hacker commune

* Accelerator

* Medical Marijuana growing facility (MT is a medical state)

* 24hr coffee shop on the first floor

* Corporate cabin offices (a la, Google buys a floor and allows employees to work out of Butte. Why? So they can hike/climb/fish/mountain bike after work)

* Free offices to open source projects

* Partial *coin mining facility

What would you do with even a portion of the space?

2 comments

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ruraltechnocrat
Love it. I live in Missoula and would love the idea of a space like that in western montana.

What does the butte community need? Commercial kitchen space is at a very high premium here in Missoula, might a commercial kitchen help start/accelerrate a foodtruck scene in Butte? The building could be thought more of as a maker-space instead of a hacker-space, so encouraging other forms of creativity (writing, cooking, etc.) which might draw in more folks.

Rooting for you guys!

client4
Nice! We will keep that in mind. If you find yourself in Helena feel free to come hang out at The Shop co-working space. More tech in Montana is awesome.