This article was published on August 1, 2014

RIP ‘Google Barge’ – the mysterious floating showroom is being scrapped


RIP ‘Google Barge’ – the mysterious floating showroom is being scrapped

We’ve said goodbye to a few Google products over the past year or so, but no farewell has been as strange as that of ‘Google Barge,’ which has ended its bizarre period with the internet company, according to reports.

The mysterious barge, which includes a four-story building made of shipping containers, was last year revealed to be a floating showroom for the secretive Google X division, but now Portland Press Herald reports it has been sold and will be dismantled. The vessel is said to be worth $3 million brand new, while Google is said to have sunk $400,000 into paying property taxes alone from mooring it in Portland — yet it was never used.

google barge

The barge’s sale was confirmed by the owner of the terminal it has been moved to, but Google hasn’t responded publicly to confirm. We dropped the company an email to ask for more details, and will let you know what we hear in response.

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Scrap the mystery: High-tech vision for Google barge crumbles in a heap [Portland Press Herald] | Hat tip @alex

Image via Justin Sullivan / AFP / Getty Images

 

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