
Ask HN: What should I do with 120,000 Sq. Ft in Butte America? - client4
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&#x2F;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&#x27;s mostly contained ;)<p># Some ideas we have tossed around: Hacker commune<p>* Accelerator<p>* Medical Marijuana growing facility (MT is a medical state)<p>* 24hr coffee shop on the first floor<p>* Corporate cabin offices (a la, Google buys a floor and
 allows employees to work out of Butte.  Why? So they can hike&#x2F;climb&#x2F;fish&#x2F;mountain bike after work)<p>* Free offices to open source projects<p>* Partial *coin mining facility<p>What would you do with even a portion of the space?
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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!

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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.

