In an unexpected fusion of digital innovation and doomsday nostalgia, a Solana-based NFT project is launching a crowdfunding campaign to purchase a Cold War-era nuclear bunker in Rutland, England.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Dead Bruv, the creators of Meatbags, a narrative-driven NFT collection. Their goal: to mint and sell 100,000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to raise enough funds to buy the decommissioned underground facility. The campaign kicks off on April 21, with each NFT priced at $14. Meatbags holders will receive a free airdrop of 10,000 NFTs.
Buyers will gain entry into a newly-formed decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) known as the Billionaire Bunker Club. This DAO, described as a “fully decentralized, community-governed real-world asset onchain,” will collectively decide what becomes of the bunker if the purchase is successful.
Proposals floated so far range from the eccentric to the extravagant: a “members-only survival resort with Doomsday DJ,” an end-of-the-world festival venue, or even an Airbnb complete with “caviar tastings and canned bean room service.”
The bunker, listed by SDL Property Auctions for a guide price of £650,000 (approximately $862,000), will go under the hammer on April 24. According to the listing, the site spans 1.4 acres and already has planning permission to be converted into a residential property. Originally built in 1960 as a Cold War monitoring post, the facility was decommissioned in 1968 and once formed part of a network of 1,500 bunkers designed to detect nuclear activity and track radioactive fallout.
The idea to buy the bunker started as a joke, said Robert, the pseudonymous co-founder of Dead Bruv. In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) on April 18, he explained that the initiative was born out of a desire to “make NFTs fun again.”
“There’s not much to compare this to,” he said. “But these are the kinds of things that made me fall in love with NFTs in the first place. Taking risks. Getting creative. Pushing the boundaries of what this tech can do to create something completely new, absurd, and incredible.”
“When something comes from a place of, ‘this is completely insane, we gotta do it,’ that’s when I know we’re onto something,” he added.
Cointelegraph has reached out to SDL Property Auctions for comment.
