HOW MANY HUGE HOLES ARE IN BACK YARDS ACROSS SPOKANE?;

Last November, when I took over the dirty, peeling and scaly 95- year-old house that's now my home, I was faced with many projects. I've completed quite a few of them, but there's one I'm still puzzled by.

So I've left it alone. Sometimes avoidance is the best option.

In December when my stepdad was cleaning up dog poop, mountains of plastic flower pots and other weird odds and ends from the backyard, he uncovered a hole in the cement patio.

A big hole - a little more than a 1 1/2 feet in diameter.

"Hey," he yelled out, broom in one hand, shovel in the other, "check this out - there's a big hole in the ground here."

The previous owner had stuffed a large tree stump into the hole (I am not making this up - I still have the stump) and my stepdad and I now peered into a manhole dropping 7 feet straight into a basement.

Childhood memories of playing in forbidden World War II Nazi bunkers, left behind on the west coast of my native Denmark, flashed through my mind.

"It's a bomb shelter," I said.

My next thought was: I don't remember the Realtor or the former owner mentioning ANYTHING about a bomb shelter on the property - not a word.

My second thought was: I wonder if this thing is structurally sound or if my first barbecue party is going to slide down the hill in a tangle of plastic chairs, Tiki torches, hotdogs and broken concrete?

My third thought was: what is in there?

Well, there was nothing in there except a rusty toy car from the '70s, a few left over 4x4s and about 2 inches of standing water.

I had the shelter inspected - and it ain't sliding anywhere the next 200 years. Then I covered the entrance safely so no one and nothing can get in there by accident.

Old records at City Hall disclosed that the bomb shelter was built in 1961 (can you say Bay of Pigs invasion?) at a cost of $1,500.

So here's the big question: what should I use this for? It feels strange having this leftover empty basement sitting out in the backyard. Friends have suggested a wine cellar, an art studio, an underground hangout, even a pool (if I tore the thing down, I guess).

And I'm curious: do you have a bomb shelter in your house or on your property? How did you find it? What did you use it for? Write me at piah@spokesman.com

This week we take a look at what's for rent in Spokane. Rik Nelson visits with a North Idaho couple who have built a small Western town in their backyard - and on the pets page, you'll get to know a few things about ducks.

Next week, we are all about quilting. And no, I don't want to rent out my bomb shelter.

Pia K. Hansen

Home Editor

piah@spokesman.com

(509) 459-5427

Copyright c 2005 The Spokesman-Review
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.