LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Twenty-six feet beneath the streets of Las Vegas lies a custom-made mansion that reflects the hopes, fears, and furnishings of America’s Cold War era.
The Underground House spans more than 14,000 square feet and contains a three-bedroom, four-bath home and a casita, complete with a pool, putting green, and spacious front and back yards.
The sights and sounds of nuclear blasts at the Nevada Test Site and Los Alamos Labs ushered in the Atomic Age. But with progress came the Cold War, and with it came public paranoia over when and where similar bombs might drop.
The government provided guidance for families wanting to build fallout shelters for protection. But Henderson’s subterranean retreat offered something completely different.
Cold War origins
“The conception of Atomitat living was actually premiered in 1961 at the World’s Fair,” said a tour guide. “And the developer at that time, who presented this concept of Atomitat living, habitat and underground living combined, then went on to build four separate homes, this being the one remaining to record.”…