The subterranean, secret bunker facility was built inside the Bare Mountain, part of the Mt. Holyoke Mountain Range. The construction started in 1957 and operated from 1958 to1970, during the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962). It housed the US Air Force Strategic Air Command and was to provide commanders at Westover Air Force Base safe shelter in the event of a Cold War-era nuclear weapon attack.

The three-story bunker features 3-foot-thick concrete walls, 1.5-foot-thick steel blast doors and is located 20 feet underground. The bunker’s temperature is constant making it an ideal location for storing temperature-sensitive material.

Today, the facility is owned by Amherst College and functions as the Five College Repository. In addition to housing the DEFA Film Library’s 35- and 16mm prints, it is used by the Five College Libraries to store lesser-used materials.

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