Are You Listening, Prosper? A Montana Family Provides Blueprint on Saving Silos

The 179,000-member Rustic Cabins & Wood Decor group on Facebook recently trotted out a cool-looking post showing silos, owned by the Clark family of Kalispell, Montana, repurposed into weekend cabins that can be rented through Airbnb.

The Clark Family Silos are also featured in Field Mag, which calls itself “a digital magazine for lovers of film photography, good design, and the great outdoors.”

It was a reminder of the demolition of Prosper’s four silos, local landmarks that gave the Collin County town its character. In May, the same month the Clark Family Silos officially opened, Prosper announced that a development firm owned by Jerry Jones is removing its silos. Four silos remain, and the town issued a statement in May, saying it hopes to save them from demolition.

Here’s hoping the silos are repurposed to recognize the historic value they provided Prosper.

Giving old silos new life has been done before. In Waco, Fixer Upper couple Chip and Joanna Gaines paid homage to silos and kicked off their Magnolia Market at the Silos by retrofitting old silos as a shopping complex. In Round Top, you can vacation in a silo.

The Clark Family Silos opened with five habitable silos all lined up on the Clarks’ family farm in northwestern Montana. The family goes back three generations in Montana.

Here’s the property description at Field Mag:

As for the property itself, each of the five silos features a rustic-modern-camping chic interior decor, with exposed beams, the omnipresent Pendleton blanket, and a little sprinkle of mid-century furnishings. A kitchenette, bathroom, small living area, and lofted sleeping area with a king-size bed make up the total circular square footage. Outside you’ll find a private fire pit and, of course, spectacular views of the farm.

Rates start at $415 a night, according to Airbnb. Hey, it has WiFi. All of the 31 reviews give it 5 stars.

Of course, the Prosper silos were larger than the Clark versions. Jones’ Blue Star Land plans to use the site where the silos once stood as a mixed-use development. The town issued a statement in May, saying it hopes to save them from demolition.

“It is the Town’s intent to preserve the three silos and eliminate any safety hazards, with the hope of incorporating the silos into the Downtown Master Plan and our ongoing downtown revitalization efforts.”

If Prosper city leaders haven’t thought of it already, a Montana family has figured out a way to make old silos work.