From the street, this Nevada home looks deceptively ordinary \u2014\u00a0a two-story structure with a four-car garage on more than an acre, minutes from the glitter of the Las Vegas Strip.<\/p>\n
But 26 feet below lies one of the most eccentric homes in America: A subterranean mansion built to withstand nuclear fallout and keep its residents entertained for the long haul, should the world above meet its end. It\u2019s now for sale, asking $8.5 million.<\/p>\n
Constructed in the 1970s at the height of Cold War anxieties, the 14,620-square-foot \u201cUnderground House\u201d was the vision of businessman Jerry Henderson, who teamed up with Texas architect Jay Swayze to create what was then the largest luxury bunker in the world. <\/p>\n
The Las Vegas Underground House, now listed for $8.5 million, is one of America\u2019s most unusual Cold War-era properties. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
The exterior of the house above ground. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
The entryway to the bunker house. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
Designed for self-sufficient living, the residence included everything a family could need \u2014\u00a0and more.<\/p>\n
The underground interiors are a surreal time capsule. <\/p>\n
Retro furnishings are surrounded by hand-painted murals depicting landscapes from the Hendersons\u2019 travels, while sculpted trees cleverly disguise steel beams. <\/p>\n
A programmable faux sky cycles through sunrises, daylight, sunsets and starry nights, offering the illusion of life above ground and a continuation of a circadian cycle.<\/p>\n
Concealed 26 feet below ground on Spencer Street, the 14,620-square-foot subterranean estate was built in the 1970s by businessman Jerry Henderson and architect Jay Swayze as a luxury bunker designed for self-sufficient living. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
The underground residence features retro 1970s interiors, hand-painted murals, sculpted trees, a programmable faux sky, and amenities including a pool, a putting green, a theater, a bar, a dance floor and saunas. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
Above ground sits a two-bedroom home, while below ground a three-bedroom casita and expansive entertainment spaces create an immersive \u201ctime capsule.\u201d Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
Leisure amenities are equally theatrical: a swimming pool, a putting green, a theater, a dance floor, multiple bars, hot tubs and saunas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always admired the uniqueness of the Spencer Street residence, in part because of how discreet the above-ground structure appears,\u201d listing representative Holly Erker of IS Luxury told The Post.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years, I passed by without any idea of the extraordinary world hidden beneath. Stepping inside feels like entering an underground time capsule, yet it carries the openness and serenity of a private estate. Today, it remains remarkably comfortable, climate-controlled and timeless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, the property is pitched as both a private sanctuary and a potential business venture, with possibilities ranging from museum and event venue to film location or luxury rental. Realtor.com<\/p>\n
One of five bedrooms. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
One of six bathrooms in total. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
The Hendersons had lived entirely below until Jerry\u2019s death, at which point his widow opted for life in the open air. A tunnel once connected the underground bunker to Henderson\u2019s office across the street, though it has since collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the current Conservator of the Underground House, my goal is to preserve the vision of Jerry and Mary Henderson, who built this extraordinary $10 million luxury underground mansion in 1974 as the final home of their lives,\u201d Frankie Lewis, the current owner and seller of the property, told The Post.<\/p>\n
Agent Holly Erker describes the property as \u201can extraordinary world hidden beneath\u201d that feels \u201cremarkably comfortable, climate-controlled, and timeless.\u201d Realtor.com<\/p>\n
The above-ground house. Rooted Elements Media<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, it was likely one of the largest single-family luxury bunkers in the world, complete with floor-to-ceiling murals of a few of the Hendersons\u2019 global properties and an extensive lighting system designed to support circadian rhythm,\u201d he said. \u201cToday, it stands as both a cultural landmark and one of the most unique survival residences in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
While conceived as a survivalist\u2019s retreat, the property is now being marketed as both a private sanctuary and a commercial opportunity.<\/p>\n
Its proximity to the Strip makes it well-positioned for conversion into an event space, museum or luxury rental. Its kitschy aesthetic and sense of suspended time have also made it a darling of filmmakers and television producers looking for a retro set piece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the street, this Nevada home looks deceptively ordinary \u2014\u00a0a two-story structure with a four-car garage on more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[230,228,226,227,78212,39642,12514,229,88,186,20571,7488,2114,78213,78214,10021,1058,1170,1349,25250],"class_list":["post-121992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-architecture","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-bunkers","tag-cold-war","tag-construction","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-exclusive","tag-historic-buildings","tag-interior-design","tag-las-vegas","tag-luxe-listings","tag-luxe-living","tag-luxury-real-estate","tag-nevada","tag-real-estate","tag-residential-real-estate","tag-surreal-estate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}