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AssetID: 35877089

Headline: Brewery To Set Up Operations In Former Cold War Missile Base

Caption: A brewery has found a new base - in a former Cold War missile command centre. Grist House Craft Brewery have chosen the Nike Missile Command Center in Collier Township, Southwest of Pittsburgh, to become their main production facility. The base, constructed in 1957, was one of 13 Nike missile sites in the Pittsburgh region operated by the United States Army. Pittsburgh was considered a likely target of the Soviet Union due to its prowess in the production of steel. The site features a 55,000 square foot building, and would have been used to house armaments including Nike Ajax and Hercules surface-to-air missiles. It also features a radar array tower. Following WWII, there was a perceived growing Soviet threat and improving technology meant missiles would have to deal with bombers flying at 500 mph (800 km/h) or more, at altitudes of up to 60,000 ft (20,000 m). Leftover traces of the approximately 265 Nike missile bases can still be seen around cities across the United States. Thanks to Grist House Craft Brewery's expansion, they have outgrown their current premises and have plans to transform the base to include a main production facility, featuring a large taproom and retail space, along with an extensive barrel aging program. A Grist House spokesperson said: "We recently closed on a truly unique 55,000 square foot building in Collier Township, Southwest of Pittsburgh. The building once served as the Nike Missile Command Center during the Cold War. This project is going to be a long one, and we are not prepared to announce a timeline at this point, but we simply couldn’t hold onto this secret anymore. "The base became an operational Missile Command Center with Missile Master capabilities in 1960, it was originally known as “PI-62”. The building is located in Collier Township on top of a hill at one of the highest points in Allegheny County, and you can see the city of Pittsburgh from the property! Much of the original equipment is gone, but some of it is still there, and you had better believe we are keeping it."

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