Underground House

[Bravo Zulu]

Q:
Tell us about the Underground House in Las Vegas. How about the ultimate members meet down there?

A:
This one was actually tackled back in the early days of QoD, on 5/21/05. That answer, which contains all the background to Vegas' Underground House and some pictures, is reproduced below for all who missed it the first time around. But there’s also an update to that answer, which you're not going to like.
Back in 2005, the Underground House would have been an option for the "ultimate LVA members meet," provided you were all prepared to cough up the $15,000 or so required to hire it for a private function -- unlikely, but within the realm of the possible.
Today, however, it's no longer an option, even if one of you has a rush of blood to the head or hits Megabucks and decides that money’s no object. We checked with Activity Planners, the company that used to manage the property for private/corporate events, and they informed us that the house has since changed hands and the new owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, is the only person now permitted access. So savor the pictures below and look out for a special on HGTV called "Subterraneans: Underground Digs," which is occasionally re-run, because that's as close as you'll get to a peek inside for the forseeable future.
Now, here's our original answer to this question.
There's only one underground house in town that we know of, but what Las Vegas lacks in quantity, it certainly makes up for in weirdness.
Located at a secret location, today the 16,000-square-foot Underground House is concealed 25 feet beneath an innocuous-looking modern home. But back in the early '70s when it was built, the only clue to the dwelling's buried existence was a wrought-iron fence and electronic gates that seemed to mark the beginning of a driveway leading to nowhere.

The explanation for this strange phenomenon lies back in the 1960s and the era of Cold War paranoia. Having amassed a fortune from Avon cosmetics, Gulfstream aircraft, and various other sources, business tycoon Jerry B. Henderson and his wife Mary became convinced of the threat of imminent nuclear destruction and grew fascinated with the concept of living underground. Their dream was not simply to build an austere nuclear bunker to run to in case of emergency; they wanted to live in a permanent state of subterranean security, privacy, and peace. So they turned to Texan building contractor Jay Swayze, pioneer of the atomic habitat or "Atomitat." Swayze and his brother had already built a 3,400-square-foot home 13 feet underground in Plainview, Texas, and they now turned their talents to realizing the Hendersons' dream, first on their property in Colorado, then with a more ambitious design in Las Vegas, where Jerry and Mary resided until their deaths in the 1980s.
Today, if you step out of the elevator and into the house, it's like entering an opulent time capsule. The expansive living room is decked out with antiques, '60s collectibles, and yellow shag carpet, while the pink bathroom features original '70s Avon cosmetics and a necklace that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor. There's a heated swimming pool, sauna, and spa complete with a 15-foot waterfall, two hot tubs, a putting green, and a barbecue that's vented through one of a number of artificial trees. The property features original '70s state-of-the-art technology throughout, including computerized lighting that simulates different times of day and illuminates the panoramic murals that grace the surrounding walls outside the windows, to give the impression of real views. And it's all built to withstand nuclear explosions and radioactive fallout.

So that's the lowdown on the Underground House. If you're interested in some altogether different types of subterranean dwellings, check out our recent title, Beneath the Neon, which describes author Matt O'Brien's four-year odyssey in the storm drains of Las Vegas, where he encountered a fascinating netherworld and experienced everything from following in the footsteps of a psycho killer to partying with naked crackheads.

[MissMillie]

1. a hobbit hole?

cool!