underground house tour las vegas

• Entertainment
• Investigations
• Latest Headlines
• Top 100 Restaurants
• Things To Do In Vegas
• What Are They Hiding?
• NV Primary Results
• 2024 Election
• Clark County
• Nation and World
• Science and Technology
• Road Warrior
• Las Vegas Weather
• East Valley
• North Las Vegas
• Summerlin/Centennial Hills
• Remembering Oct. 1, 2017
• Deborah Wall
• Natalie Burt
• Remembering Jeff German
• Police Accountability
• Alpine Fire
• 100 Years of Growth
• Dangerous Driving
• Raiders News
• Golden Knights
• UNLV Football
• UNLV Basketball
• Nevada Preps
• Sports Betting 101
• Las Vegas Sportsbooks
• National Finals Rodeo
• Where Are They Now?
• On TV/Radio
• MMA and UFC
• Casinos & Gaming
• Conventions
• Inside Gaming
• Entrepreneurs
• Real Estate News
• Business Press
• Sheldon Adelson (1933-2021)
• Debra J. Saunders
• Michael Ramirez cartoons
• Victor Joecks
• Richard A. Epstein
• Victor Davis Hanson
• Drawing Board
• Homicide Tracker
• Faces of Death Row
• Kats’ Cool Hangs
• Arts & Culture
• Home and Garden
• Las Vegas Hiking Guide
• RJ Magazine
• Today’s Obituaries
• Submit an obit
• Dealer News
• Classifieds
• Place a Classified Ad
• Provided Content
• Real Estate Millions
• Internships
• Service Directory
• Transportation
• Merchandise
• Legal Information
• Real Estate Classifieds
• Garage Sales
• Contests and Promotions
• Best of Las Vegas
• Nevada State Bank
• Verizon Business
• P3 Health Partners
• Adult Health
• Star Nursery
• Partner Articles
• Ignite Funding
• Supplements
• Travel Nevada
• Subscriptions
• Newsletters
• Advertise with Us

• >> Homes
• >> Real Estate Millions

Famous underground Las Vegas house to open to public — PHOTOS

The famous Las Vegas property called The Underground House will get a rare public viewing on April 28 as part of a celebration of the city’s architectural history hosted by the Nevada Preservation Foundation.

It’s one of Las Vegas’ most famous homes and one shrouded in mystery that few people have ever seen.

It’s not the home of a celebrity or athlete that you can see on a bus tour or simply by driving by the address.

That’s because the home was built as a bomb shelter and is under the ground.

The famous Las Vegas property called The Underground House, 3970 Spencer St., will get a rare public viewing April 28 as part of a celebration of the city’s architectural history hosted by the Nevada Preservation Foundation. The gala, which will feature cocktails and appetizers, costs $150 a ticket; an extra $75 gets you access to a VIP reception.

There’s no more famous basement in Las Vegas than The Underground House. It was built in 1978 by entrepreneur Jerry Henderson and his wife, Mary. The site measures nearly 15,000 square feet, and the house sits 26 feet below the surface, but it’s not a normal basement.

It has its own midcentury-style, two-bedroom home measuring about 6,000 square feet and resembles many others built in Las Vegas in an earlier era. A 800-square-foot caretaker home sits in the rear. It doesn’t get sunshine, wind and rain, but it otherwise is like many other homes.

There’s a 6-foot-deep pool, a spa, a barbecue area, a carpeted six-hole putting green and even views when you look outside the window of the home or from the patio. It’s not the Strip city lights or surrounding mountains but murals of settings where the Hendersons had homes in upstate New York, Colorado, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Underground House event is one of many foundation functions as part of Home + History Las Vegas weekend on April 27-29 to raise money for historic preservation in Nevada.

“This is our crowning event of the weekend,” said Suzey Sligh Van Ness, the events and giving manager for the foundation. “People have been wanting to see this house for years and been asking about it. To preservation people, it’s a must-see.”

The Underground House continues to have a sense of mystery to it, even with the acquisition in March 2014 by its new owner, which paid about $1.15 million. The new owner is the Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species, a self-described secretive group whose goal is to promote of human life extension.

What better way to do that than purchasing a property intended to preserve life in case of a nuclear blast?

“That was (the Hendersons’) idea to use it as a cold-war bunker and a reflection of the era they lived in,” said Tee Thompson, a society member who oversees The Underground House and is living in it. “Their concerns were valid to them, so they built a home 26 feet under the ground. This was their everyday home.”

Jerry Henderson was an investor in several companies. He had a company called Underground World Homes, which had an exhibit at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and 1965 about living underground in the years following the Cuban missile crisis. Henderson also had an underground home in Colorado that measured about 45,000 square feet, Thompson said.

After Jerry Henderson died in 1983, his wife no longer wanted to live in the shelter. She built a town home on the surface, where she lived until she died in 1989. The entire property later ended up in foreclosure. Society President Mark Voelker resides in the town home.

“We have done quite a bit of preservation, and aesthetically we tried to keep everything in line as it was when it was originally built,” Thompson said. “We have brought on professional artists when we have to do repairs on the walls to match what’s already existing.”

When the foundation asked if the home could be part of the annual gala, Thompson said the group wants to be part of the community and make people aware of the historic home and what’s been done to preserve it.

“When you go down there, you’re in a capsule and go back in time,” she said about the event, which is limited to 100 tickets. “It’s amazing to know at the same time we’re keeping the mystery of the home, which is part of the legacy.”

There’s a small elevator, but the home is accessed from a flight of stairs that’s now part of the lower level of the town home. The Underground House has lighting that emulates different times of the day. It has green carpeting in the patio area, and faux trees serve as hidden steel beams. Mountain and wilderness murals depict an outdoor setting. Rocks from the area near the Hendersons’ Colorado home site were used for landscaping.

The home is cooled with nine air-conditioning and has heating units and two ventilation systems. It runs off the valley’s electric grid and circulates air from the outside, both of which would prevent it from being used as a bomb shelter if the electrical system were destroyed and air contaminated, Thompson said.

Even though it’s built with concrete and steel, the home could not withstand a nuclear blast, Thompson said.

“He was thinking if there’s a nuclear bomb that they would survive down here,” she said. “According to science, we don’t believe it would survive a nuclear explosion. It would not be able to take the impact.”

Thompson said the group gets “unique letters” in which people ask if they can live there in the case of an emergency.

“There are still people that believe in the apocalyptic phenomenon,” she said. “People do a lot of prepping for these kind of emergencies. It’s not gone away, and pretty prevalent now if you look at social media.”

The home has two bedrooms and three baths. One was built for Mary Henderson at a cost of $30,000, Thompson said. Her bedroom and bath feature silk pink wallpaper.

It’s like many other homes with a dining room, living room and audiovisual room. The bar has short stools: Mary Henderson was less than 5 feet tall and her husband not much taller. The kitchen has pink-trimmed flooring and cabinetry and has an original toaster built into the wall and a food processor in a cabinet.

Thompson said it’s been a fascinating experience to live in the home. When you get up in the morning, she said, you expect the sun to hit you in the face and wake you up. Instead, you have to make your own light.

“I get to choose whether I want it day, night, dusk or dawn,” Thompson said. “When it is dark, it is pitch black, and it’s very peaceful and quiet. I don’t get to hear the outside elements. It’s beautiful being down here. If you’re not focused on what you’re doing, you lose track of time.”

Celebrities like Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jane Seymour and the late Jonathan Winters have attened sharitable events, social gatherings and private getaways in the 6,421-square-foot space.

Through the end of May Las Vegas had 751 luxury resales for the year — up from the 549 through the end of May 2023 and the second best start to the year in history.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties corporate broker Forrest Barbee recently started his term as a member of the Nevada Real Estate Commission following his appointment to a three-year term in March by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Interior designer Ashley Dowd showcased a talent to envision what could be during her extensive transformation of a dated 1986 estate into a wellness retreat.

The Cello Tower high-rise condominium project announced it has sold 39 of its 240 units valued at $67 million as it prepares to start construction this fall ahead of a late 2026 opening. There are reservations for another 90 residences.

The $1.3 billion Four Seasons Private Residences Las Vegas in MacDonald Highlands has sold 46 percent of its 171 high-rise condos valued at $428 million as site-work continues ahead of the project going vertical by October.

One year after Celine Dion set the record for a $30 million sale of her unlived home in The Summit Club in Summerlin, her next-door neighbor sold their 1.5-acre estate for $35 million.

Las Vegas Raiders tackle Kolton Miller paid $8.8 million for a home in an enclave in Southern Highlands Golf Club while ESPN analyst Ron Rivera paid $5 million for a home about to start construction in the same community.

High-rise condo sales in Las Vegas, led by strength at the Waldorf Astoria, set a record during the first quarter in the average sales price and price per square foot.

Designed and built by Las Vegas Luxe Design/Build, the 6,653-square-foot North Shore home opens to a dynamic lake and surrounding landscape views through voluminous glass walls.

• pop Culture
• Facebook Navigation Icon
• Twitter Navigation Icon
• WhatsApp icon
• Instagram Navigation Icon
• Youtube Navigation Icon
• Snapchat Navigation Icon
• TikTok Navigation Icon
• pigeons & planes
• newsletters
• Youtube logo nav bar 0 youtube
• Instagram Navigation Icon instagram
• Twitter Navigation Icon x
• Facebook logo facebook
• TikTok Navigation Icon tiktok
• Snapchat Navigation Icon snapchat
• Apple logo apple news
• Flipboard logo nav bar 1 flipboard
• Instagram Navigation Icon google news
• WhatsApp icon whatsapp
• RSS feed icon rss feed

Complex Global

• united states
• united kingdom
• netherlands
• philippines
• complex chinese

Work with us

terms of use

privacy policy

cookie settings

california privacy

public notice

accessibility statement

COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive.

© Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Complex.com is a part of

Take a Visual Tour of This $18 Million Underground Las Vegas 'Bunker' House

This five-bedroom, six-bathroom house has an entirely separate home located 26 feet underground that serves as a bomb shelter.

View this video on YouTube

Billed as the Las Vegas Underground Home, this residence is located just two miles east of the strip, and serves as a bomb shelter that attempts to mirror the outside world with a yard, pool, and even trees. 

The home was built in the 1970s by Girard B. Henderson, who was once the director of Avon cosmetics. Henderson was concerned that the Cold War could destroy the country permanently, so he created a house with an entirely separate living situation 26 feet underground. He also started a company called “Underground World Homes,” where he tried to convince others of the benefits of living underground, and even sponsored an exhibit called “Why Live Underground” at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. 

Henderson lived in the home until his death in 1983. His widow didn’t want to continue in his footsteps, so she created a townhouse above ground where she lived until her death six years later. 

One look at the 14,000-plus square foot bunker, and it’s clear that the furnishings and decor remain trapped in the 1970s. 

View this photo on Instagram

The property costs a staggering $18 million, a significant bump in cost considering the last owner paid $1.15 million in 2015. Listing agent Stephan LaForge of BHHS Nevada Properties defends the asking price, telling Realtor that it would cost, at least, $18 million to undergo the level of construction to accomplish what Henderson did with this residence.

Check out a tour of the Las Vegas Underground Home, up top.

SHARE THIS STORY

Sign up for the

Complex Newsletter

Your leading source for what’s now and what’s next in Music, Style, Sports, and Pop Culture.

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our

Latest in Life

| BY JAELANI TURNER-WILLIAMS

Remy Ma Supports Son Following Murder Charge: ‘We Stand By JaySon’s Innocence’

| BY JOE PRICE

Louisiana Governor Signs Bill Requiring Classrooms to Display the Ten Commandments

| BY ALEX OCHO

Remy Ma’s Son Arrested and Charged With Murder

Maryland Governor Signs Executive Order Pardoning Over 175,000 Marijuana Convictions

| BY RACHAEL EVANS

How Serwah Attafuah Balances Digital Art, Music and Entrepreneurship

| BY MARK ELIBERT

Bill Belichick Reportedly Signed 24-Year-Old Girlfriend's Textbook When They First Met

| BY TRACE WILLIAM COWEN

Ex-Neuralink Employee Alleges She Was Scratched by Monkeys, Fired Over Pregnancy

Neil deGrasse Tyson Shares 17-Minute Video in Response to Terrence Howard's Claims in Joe Rogan Interview

| BY JOSE MARTINEZ

U.S. Secret Service Agent Robbed at Gunpoint During Biden's L.A. Visit

| BY TARA MAHADEVAN

Controversial Brooklyn Pastor Lamor Whitehead Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

Description

All products include, are you looking for something fun to do, a private tour tour the underground bunker-mansion with your professional photographer.

Tour the FAMOUS Underground House in Las Vegas! With over 15,000 square feet and situated 26 feet below the surface, this private home was built in the 1970's as a Cold War-era hideaway complete with swimming pool, billiards room, and a 4-hole putting green. Don't miss the exclusive opportunity to see this $18M Underground Mansion and go home with memories, stories and photos!

Be part of the property's unique history.

• One-hour access to The Underground House Las Vegas
• Tour of Underground House
• Learn all about the history of this amazing hidden location
• Professional photographer to shoot fun photos around property (minimum 48 images)
• All images available for viewing for 6 months
• All images sent electronically
• Luxury vehicle to pick from hotel to location and return ( 2 hours)
• Driver gratuities
• 2 Hour experience

$925.00 (2-10 guests)

$1425.00 (11-20 guests)

$2100.00(21-30 guests)

• Enjoy a refreshing, sparkling beverage during your photo tour
• One of our expert photographers who is especially trained to capture the perfect moment. Your photographer will take a minimum amount of shots per time slot. 48 images per hour, 72 images per 90-minutes, and 96 images per two hours. We always try to make the best of our time and take as many photos as possible so this is not a fixed number, just a minimum.
• Sized for online sharing with Photo Tours Vegas logo in lower left corner.
• Suitable for prints up to 12x18 Ultra high quality or 36x48 normal quality
• Luxury vehicle to pick you up and drop you off at your strip hotel in most packages. Some tours are only pick up only and noted on the package details. Vehicle included will seat up to variable included in the package description
• All of our vehicles are stocked with water to keep you hydrated throughout your tour
• Tip for your driver is inclusive in your price
• After your tour, you will be provided with a privacy code that is yours to share with your friends and family, and it will give you access to view all of your photos for 6 months
• No hidden fees! Our prices already include all charges
• Length of the tour can be extended for things like a liquor store stop, additional photo destinations or special weekend events
• People count can be increased but may necessitate a larger vehicle, groups over 8 also require a coordinator in addition to the photographer

Underground House Photo Tour

$ 1,025.00

Related products

6 Passengers Standard Photo Tour

Manhattan Express Photo Tour

Planet Hollywood Drink and Photo Tour

Pink Cadillac and Elvis Photo Tour

Featured product.

Pub Crawl Photo Tour

Magical Memories Photo Tour

Cannabition ”Museum” Photo Tour

Sprinkles and Champagne

( realtor.com )

We Ventured Down Into the Las Vegas Underground House—Who Might Buy This Place?

I’ve looked at many homes and travelled to many cities, but I’ve never seen anything like the Underground House in Las Vegas .

Part authentic time capsule dwelling, part Doomsday bunker, part fantasyland, it’s a unique dwelling unlike anything else in the world.

The underground home’s price history is also unique. The original owner purchased the 1-acre lot in the 1970s. He spent an estimated $10 million excavating and building this 15,000-square-foot, Cold War-era luxury bunker about 2.5 miles from the Vegas Strip.

After changing hands several times over the years, the property was rescued from foreclosure in 2015, for just $1.15 million.

In 2019, it landed on the market with an aspirational price tag of $18 million . It attracted plenty of buzz and popped up in our weekly look at the most popular homes a couple of times. However, no offers materialized, and the bunker languished on the market for two years.

Earlier this year, the price was chopped by a whopping 67%. Now priced at $5.9 million, the lair may finally coax a buyer to descend and make an offer.

“The current owners realized that with the expense of maintenance and improvements, it would be best to put it back on the market at a more realistic price,” says the listing agent, Stephen LaForge of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Nevada. As a boy, LaForge rode his bike by the property when it was being developed. Now, as an adult, he’s been representing it for several years.

He knows every nook and cranny, sight, and smell of this underground domestic utopia. He was also gracious enough to give us the grand tour.

(Realtor.com)

On terra firma

When I pulled up to the property, I could tell that it was in transition.

At street level, it’s fully walled and gated. The above-ground parcel is marked by sand, shaggy palms, weeds, and a fountain in progress. There are also some noticeable air vents and a few faux-rock structures with doors, which provide stairway access. A two-story stucco house from the 1980s is also sitting on the lot.

(realtor.com)

The above-ground house was built by the original owner’s widow in 1985, after her husband died.

That original owner was Jerry Henderson , a businessman and philanthropist who was a director of Avon Products. A noted underground living enthusiast, he sponsored an Underground Home exhibit at the New York World’s Fair. He developed his own take on residence underground in Vegas in the late 1970s.

After his passing, his widow no longer wanted to live the underground life and commissioned the two-story home on terra firma.

She opted out of the underground lair and walked away from the two-bedroom, three-bathroom subterranean home. It has plenty of fun features underground, including a pool, waterfalls, two spas, an “outdoor” barbecue, putting green, and lighting that can be customized to change in sync with the time of day.

Honestly, the above-ground home has seen better days. It’s currently divided into several apartments, one inhabited by the property’s caretaker. By the way, the list price also includes his live-in services for a full year.

Begin the descent

The elevator that takes you down to the underground home is located inside the house.

The elevator is compact, but features a window looking out onto the elevator shaft, which is painted to give you the impression that you’re descending into a mine 200 feet below the Earth’s surface. It’s cute, but you’re truly only descending about 17 feet.

You step out into what feels like an open lobby. There’s a 12-foot ceiling, faux stone underfoot, and a well-lit glass cabinet filled with crystal-like curios and information on underground houses.

The display is prominently placed, because the current owners want to disseminate their ideas.

It’s owned by the Society for the Preservation of Near-Extinct Species, which claims that one of the current purposes of the property “is to exhibit collections of documents and memorabilia in order to preserve its historic significance as a structure that was built to exist in perpetuity … ideal for storing and exhibiting cryo-preserved biological specimens (including the DNA of near-extinct species), organs for transplant, and other biological tissue.”

Well, then. At least that explains the giant, silolike, stainless-steel cryogenic storage chamber just around the corner.

Now I began to understand the unique properties of the Las Vegas Underground House, and the potential buyers for whom it might have the most value.

To my mind, the tour revealed four types of buyers who might be interested. Here are the candidates:

The committed prepper

These are the buyers who want to extend their life as long as possible by cocooning in a fortresslike retreat. Hidden below the Earth, they hope to avoid natural disaster, ne’er-do-wells, and disease.

And although there’s really nothing built that can protect you from a direct hit from a nuclear bomb, this place comes close.

It has a network of massive steel beams overhead (I crawled into the underground “attic” to see them) and sturdy cement support posts disguised as tree trunks. To my untrained eye, it certainly looked as if it could keep you safer than 99% of the population.

Preppers could also live completely off the grid here, because the property features two 500-gallon water tanks and a diesel generator. It’s hooked up at the moment to city water, sewer, and power systems, but that could change if a buyer so desired.

A 1970s aficionado

The underground house and and guesthouse are filled to the brim with 1970s kitsch that would be near impossible to replicate.

I loved the pink-trimmed Barbie kitchen with original appliances, like a pop-out wall toaster and a cream-colored, in-wall intercom system.

I also swooned over the groovy furniture, like the bar stools with giant poker-chip seats, sputnik hanging lamps, and giant slipper chairs. All the furnishings are included in the price.

Outside the house, on the “lawn,” there are even a couple of stripper poles and an expertly lit disco ball, which hovers above a dance floor.

It was easy to envision the bitchin’ weekend retreat parties that could be thrown down there.

Consider the restaurateur

From tables and chairs to linen, glassware, and china, the home is sold fully equipped. Perhaps an entrepreneurial buyer would want to entertain guests and charge them for a meal.

The home’s kitchen is sizable and could be upgraded to professional status.

A family room already features a bar and could serve as a ready-made lounge. Meanwhile, the bedrooms could be converted into fun private dining suites.

That leaves vast expanses of lawn (green carpet!), where dining tables can be placed. By my amateur estimation, the lawn could accommodate at least 40 guest tables.

The whole setup could be updated into something far more chic, or alternatively, be kept as it is and marketed as another quirky Las Vegas theme attraction.

Could this work as a club?

All told, a club promoter seems the most natural fit for the place.

It is the perfect party pad, with yards of open, padded flooring, vast walls that could be turned into display screens, and a fortified underground location where no one can hear you sing.

You could crank up the music—and the neighbors would be oblivious.

Not only that, but the pool reminds me of the legendary Playboy Mansion grotto, which featured a pool I was once lucky enough to dip my toes into.

On a more practical note, it has tons of parking space above ground, and it’s a quick ride-share to the Strip.

About the price

LaForge reports that thus far, interested buyers have been reluctant to offer several million dollars for the property. Especially when public record shows the current owners purchased it for $1.15 million.

On the other hand, he says that when you consider the amount it would cost to build a similar facility from scratch, the $5.9 million is a relative steal.

One thing is clear: The sky (or shall we say the Earth?) is the limit for this property.

• For more photos and details, check out the full listing.
• Homes for sale in Las Vegas, NV
• Learn more about Las Vegas, NV

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award-winning writer who covers lifestyle, entertainment, real estate, design, and travel. Find her on AtHomeInHollywood.com

• Related Articles

Share this Article

If you were to look at this private Las Vegas home from the street, you probably wouldn’t think much of it. It’s fairly mundane, just a two-story house that looks like it was built sometime in the 1980's. However, 26 feet below the house is an amazing treasure.

The Underground House is a luxury cold war-era home with over 15,000 square feet and comes complete with artificial trees, faux rocks, and life-like scenery which include hand painted murals with scenes from homes the original owner had around the world. The lights can be adjusted to imitate different times of the day and there are twinkling stars on the ceiling to imitate the night sky. This underground residence has a four-hole putting green, two hot tubs, a sauna, a dance floor, a bar, a barbecue, and swimming pool. The main house has two bedrooms and three bathrooms. There is also a casita. This exclusive private home over the years has hosted receptions, weddings, corporate meetings as well as been featured in film, television, and print ​ media.

This unique piece of Vegas history was built in the 1970's  by Jerry Henderson, a businessman and philanthropist who was a director of Avon Products. He died in 1983. T he décor of this home reflects the era in which it was built. In 1964, Henderson pioneered underground living and sponsored the Underground Home exhibit at the New York World's Fair. 

The Historic Underground House Las Vegas

Take the virtual tour.

World Famous

The Underground House has been featured as the backdrop for projects that are world famous.  

Imagine Dragons

Thank you for your interest in the Underground House Las Vegas. For quicker response please contact Frankie at  [email protected]    Call (702) 550-4377 or Text (702) 525-6128.

For inquiries, please fill out the form and someone will get back with you shortly. Do you have any unique information about the history of this home? We'd like to know! We value your privacy and do not disclose your personal information to third parties.

Interested in buying this historic property? Please contact J. Dean Barry, Executive Director @ 210-872-4227 or [email protected]

Thank you! Someone will touch base shortly.

Touring the Las Vegas Underground Home

I recently had the opportunity to tour, and speak with the owner of, the famed Las Vegas underground home. This is Part One of the tour. Part Two is where I interview the owner about prepping and whether this place would realistically work as a fallout shelter.

You can see my video tour and photos (by Jeremiah Fishell) below.

Built in the 1970s as a high-end home and fallout shelter, it looks like any regular, private two-story house in the suburbs of Las Vegas, just three miles from the strip.

What lies beneath it, however, is nothing short of a fascinating structure. Where it is a private residence, and not open to the public, the owner was gracious enough to spend time with me.

At the time of this writing, the house is on the market for $18 million dollars.

Historic, eccentric, bizarre – there are many ways to describe this place, but it is an underground house (more like a house within a house), that is over 15,000 square feet in size. This is the most famous “basement” in all of Las Vegas! Originally designed not just as a unique residence, but as a fallout shelter, it was equipped to support a family for up to a year below the surface.

My Video Tour of the Las Vegas Underground Home

The Home’s Features

The home is not just an underground home; it’s a virtual underground mansion built in 1978 by Girard Brown Henderson, a wealthy entrepreneur who sat on the board of Avon. Here are just a few of the many features:

• five bedrooms and six bathrooms (counting the above-ground home)
• 800-square-foot underground guest house
• 6′ deep pool
• six-hole putting green
• water fountain
• billiard room

The house is cooled with nine air conditioners. It has heating units and two ventilation systems. The home also has a diesel generator for backup power. It sits 26′ below the surface (measured from the floor of the house), and it’s built out of concrete and steal.

There is no natural light, but different times of day can be simulated with the flick of a switch. The green carpeting looks a lot like grass, and the plastic trees and plants look equally real. The mind plays tricks on you while you’re down there. You know you’re underground, but it doesn’t quite feel like it. It feels almost like an alien environment.

Today’s Owners

The existing owners are just as interesting as the house itself. Bought in 2014 for $1.15 million, the new owner is technically the Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species, a group of individuals whose goal is to promote human life extension through cryogenics. Fitting, really, that a group wanting to extend life buys a fallout shelter.

Mark Voelker Interview

The video in this post can be seen as Part 2 of the underground home tour. This is where I sit down with the owner, Mark Voelker, in the living room of this subterranean mansion, and we talk about prepping. We discuss not only prepping in general, but also how this underground house would function in a post-collapse situation. How long could someone realistically stay down there? What issues would they face? Is it defensible?

Since their acquisition, they’ve put money into improvements, including repairing the sewage system, wiring, and outfitting with 1970s-era furniture to fit the time of the home. More improvements are still underway. ( Watch my interview of the owner ).

A Prepper’s Perspective

From my view, and probably the view of most any prepper, the home is best suited as an eccentric Las Vegas party house, and less as a fallout shelter. The drawbacks to using it as a bunker are fairly obvious:

• The media coverage of this place (see below) means it will never be a hidden location. Even my cab driver knew about the place and where it was!
• It’s dependent on the power grid. Yes, it has a backup generator, but what if that fails? The air exchange is not passive. It needs power to run, and the size of the place means it would demand a fair amount of power.
• It’s Las Vegas! A fallout shelter in the middle of a city doesn’t exactly scream long-term safety. What’s more, the ongoing water challenges that face Las Vegas are apt to get worse.
• It’s not a bomb shelter. If that’s what Mr. Henderson intended it to be, he should have gone deeper. If you’re in Las Vegas hoping to escape the fallout coming from a nuclear blast in Los Angeles – sure, but a nuclear blast hitting Las Vegas would do this place in.

All of that said, if you ARE a prepper, you have a ton of money, and you love Las Vegas, I’m not sure you could find a more interesting property!

Media Coverage

The home has been covered by various media outlets: Forbes , Messy Nessy Chic , Money , ABC News , Review Journal , and the Las Vegas Sun (just to name a few). For my tour and interview of the owner, I tried to focus a bit more on the prepper side of things – the home not as an eccentric structure, but as a fallout shelter, as it was originally intended.

If you want to see the owners’ website for the house, go to UndergroundHouse.Vegas . A photographer’s creative use of the space can be seen here: Juno Calypso . If you want to see an artistic, albeit a bit strange, short film made in the space, go to Womens Tales 14 .

Photo Gallery

The Individual Trauma Kit / IFAK

Lessons learned from firefighting in rural america, leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

  Notify me when juicy new comments are added.

As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This site also participates in various other affiliate programs, and we may get a commission through purchases made through our links. Please read our complete  Disclosures and Privacy Policy  for more information.

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

• Log in / Sign up

702-941-1889

• Wedding Planning and Coordination
• A Magical Marriage Proposal
• Grand Canyon Landing by Helicopter
• Night flight over the Las Vegas Strip
• Red Rock Canyon
• Say “Yes” in a Hot Air Balloon
• The Eiffel Tower Experience
• The High Roller, Love is in the Air
• Valley of Fire
• VIP Las Vegas Romantic Limo Tour
• Dining and Receptions
• Chapel Weddings
• Helicopter Weddings
• Las Vegas Strip Weddings
• Off Strip Weddings
• Outdoor and Scenic Weddings
• Themed Weddings
• Wedding Options
• Airport Pickup
• Bachelor Tours
• Bachelorette Tours
• Fremont Street Tours
• Holiday Tours
• Las Vegas Strip Tours
• Nightclub Tours
• Romantic Tours
• Scenic Tours
• Themed Tours
• Walking Tours
• Photo Tours add ons
• Room Décor Packages
• Bachelor Party
• Bachelorette Party
• Honeymoon in Vegas
• Las Vegas French Weddings
• Outdoor Weddings
• Marriage License Details
• Photo Gallery
• Media Tours
• Tour Operators

Product Description

All photo tours packages include, are you looking for something fun to do, a private tour tour the underground bunker-mansion with your professional photographer.

Tour the FAMOUS Underground House in Las Vegas! With over 15,000 square feet and situated 26 feet below the surface, this private home was built in the 1970's as a Cold War-era hideaway complete with swimming pool, billiards room, and a 4-hole putting green. Don't miss the exclusive opportunity to see this $18M Underground Mansion and go home with memories, stories and photos!

Be part of the property's unique history.

• One-hour access to The Underground House Las Vegas
• Tour of Underground House
• Learn all about the history of this amazing hidden location
• Professional photographer to shoot fun photos around property (minimum 48 images)
• All images available for viewing for 6 months
• All images sent electronically
• Luxury vehicle to pick from hotel to location and return ( 2 hours)
• Driver gratuities
• 2 Hour experience

$925.00 (2-10 guests)

$1425.00 (11-20 guests)

$2100.00(21-30 guests)

• Enjoy a refreshing, sparkling beverage during your photo tour
• One of our expert photographers who is especially trained to capture the perfect moment. Your photographer will take a minimum amount of shots per time slot. 48 images per hour, 72 images per 90-minutes, and 96 images per two hours. We always try to make the best of our time and take as many photos as possible so this is not a fixed number, just a minimum.
• Sized for online sharing with Photo Tours Vegas logo in lower left corner.
• Suitable for prints up to 12x18 Ultra high quality or 36x48 normal quality
• Luxury vehicle to pick you up and drop you off at your strip hotel in most packages. Some tours are only pick up only and noted on the package details. Vehicle included will seat up to variable included in the package description
• All of our vehicles are stocked with water to keep you hydrated throughout your tour
• Tip for your driver is inclusive in your price
• After your tour, you will be provided with a privacy code that is yours to share with your friends and family, and it will give you access to view all of your photos for 6 months
• No hidden fees! Our prices already include all charges
• Length of the tour can be extended for things like a liquor store stop, additional photo destinations or special weekend events
• People count can be increased but may necessitate a larger vehicle, groups over 8 also require a coordinator in addition to the photographer

Underground House Photo Tour

$ 1,025.00

Related products

JUST CRUSIN

DATE NIGHT OUT

ROMANTIC HOT AIR BALLOON PRIVATE PHOTO TOUR

Foodie and Photo Tour ( 4 Hour experience)

Featured product.

Hot Air Balloon Wedding Ground Ceremony

Hard Rock Wedding

VEGAS SIGN LITTLE ELVIS AND LITTLE MARILYN WEDDING

Celebrity Homes

Going deep in the las vegas underground house — here’s who might buy it.

You really have to see the Las Vegas Underground House to believe it, with its fortress-like structure, 70’s style interior and cryogenic storage tank.

I’ve looked at many homes and travelled to many cities, but I’ve never seen anything like the Underground House in Las Vegas .

Part authentic time capsule dwelling, part Doomsday bunker, part raver fantasyland, it’s a unique dwelling unlike anything else in the world.

The underground home’s price history is also unique. The original owner purchased the 1-acre lot in the 1970s. He spent an estimated $10 million excavating and building this 15,000-square-foot, Cold War-era luxury bunker about 2.5 miles from the Vegas Strip.

After changing hands several times over the years, the property was rescued from foreclosure in 2015, for just $1.15 million.

In 2019, it landed on the market with an aspirational price tag of $18 million. It attracted plenty of buzz, but no viable offers materialized, and the bunker languished on the market for two years.

Earlier this year, the price was chopped by a whopping 67%. Now priced at $5.9 million, the lair may finally coax a buyer to descend and make an offer.

“The current owners realized that with the expense of maintenance and improvements, it would be best to put it back on the market at a more realistic price,” says the listing agent, Stephen LaForge of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Nevada. As a boy, LaForge rode his bike by the property when it was being developed. Now, as an adult, he’s been representing it for several years.

He knows every nook and cranny, sight, sound and smell of this underground domestic utopia. He was also gracious enough to give me the grand tour.

On terra firma

When I pulled up to the property, I could tell that it was in transition.

At street level, it’s fully walled and gated. The above-ground parcel is marked by sand, shaggy palms, weeds, and a fountain in progress. There are also some noticeable air vents and a few faux-rock structures with doors, which provide stairway access to what’s below. A two-story stucco house from the 1980s is also sitting on the lot.

The above-ground house was built by the original owner’s widow in 1985, after her husband died.

That original owner was Jerry Henderson , a businessman and philanthropist who was a director of Avon Products. A noted underground living enthusiast, he sponsored an Underground Home exhibit at the New York World’s Fair. He developed his own take on residence underground in Vegas in the late 1970s.

After his passing, his widow no longer wanted to live the underground life and commissioned the two-story home on terra firma.

She opted out of the underground lair and walked away from the two-bedroom, three-bathroom subterranean home. It has plenty of fun features underground, including a pool, waterfalls, two spas, an “outdoor” barbecue, putting green, and lighting that can be customized to change in sync with the time of day.

Honestly, the above-ground home has seen better days. It’s currently divided into several apartments, one inhabited by the property’s caretaker. By the way, the list price also includes his live-in services for a full year.

Begin the descent

The elevator that takes you down to the underground home is located inside the house.

You step out into what feels like an open lobby. There’s a 12-foot ceiling, faux stone underfoot, and a well-lit glass cabinet filled with crystal-like curios and information on underground houses.

The display is prominently placed, because the current owners want to disseminate their ideas.

It’s owned by the Society for the Preservation of Near-Extinct Species, which claims that one of the current purposes of the property “is to exhibit collections of documents and memorabilia in order to preserve its historic significance as a structure that was built to exist in perpetuity … ideal for storing and exhibiting cryo-preserved biological specimens (including the DNA of near-extinct species), organs for transplant, and other biological tissue.”

Well, then. At least that explains the giant, silolike, stainless-steel cryogenic storage chamber just around the corner.

Now I began to understand the unique properties of the Las Vegas Underground House, and the potential buyers for whom it might have the most value.

To my mind, the tour revealed four types of buyers who might be interested.

Potential Buyers for the Las Vegas Underground House

The committed prepper.

These are the buyers who want to extend their life as long as possible by cocooning in a fortresslike retreat. Hidden below the Earth, they hope to avoid natural disaster, ne’er-do-wells, and disease.

And although there’s really nothing built that can protect you from a direct hit from a nuclear bomb, this place comes close.

It has a network of massive steel beams overhead (I crawled into the underground “attic” to see them) and sturdy cement support posts disguised as tree trunks. To my untrained eye, it certainly looked as if it could keep you safer than 99% of the population.

Preppers could also live completely off the grid here, because the property features two 500-gallon water tanks and a diesel generator. It’s hooked up at the moment to city water, sewer, and power systems, but that could change if a buyer so desired.

A 1970s aficionado

The underground house and and guesthouse are filled to the brim with 1970s kitsch that would be near impossible to replicate.

I loved the pink-trimmed Barbie kitchen with original appliances, like a pop-out wall toaster and a cream-colored, in-wall intercom system.

I also swooned over the groovy furniture, like the bar stools with giant poker-chip seats, sputnik hanging lamps, and giant slipper chairs. All the furnishings are included in the price.

Outside the house, on the “lawn,” there are even a couple of stripper poles and an expertly lit disco ball, which hovers above a dance floor.

It was easy to envision the bitchin’ weekend retreat parties that could be thrown down there.

The restaurateur

From tables and chairs to linen, glassware, and china, the home is sold fully equipped. Perhaps an entrepreneurial buyer would want to entertain guests and charge them for a meal.

The home’s kitchen is sizable and could be upgraded to professional status.

A family room already features a bar and could serve as a ready-made lounge. Meanwhile, the bedrooms could be converted into fun private dining suites.

That leaves vast expanses of lawn (green carpet), where dining tables can be placed. By my amateur estimation, the lawn could accommodate at least 40 guest tables.

The whole setup could be updated into something far more chic, or alternatively, be kept as it is and marketed as another quirky Las Vegas theme attraction.

The club promotor

All told, a club promoter seems the most natural fit for the place.

It is the perfect party pad, with yards of open, padded flooring, vast walls that could be turned into display screens, and a fortified underground location where no one can hear you sing.

You could crank up the music—and the neighbors would be oblivious.

Not only that, but the pool reminds me of the legendary Playboy Mansion grotto, which featured a pool I’ve experienced a time or two.

On a more practical note, it has tons of parking space above ground, and it’s a quick ride-share to the Strip.

About the price

LaForge reports that thus far, interested buyers have been reluctant to offer several million dollars for the property. Especially when public record shows the current owners purchased it for $1.15 million.

On the other hand, he says that when you consider the amount it would cost to build a similar facility from scratch, the $5.9 million is a relative steal.

Find out more about the famous Las Vegas Underground House in my original feature on Realtor.com .

Lisa Johnson Mandell

[…] noted by the agent representing the Las Vegas Underground House (still available for $5.9 million), it’s doubtful that any home could sustain a direct […]

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

What’s up the chris pratt real estate portfolio takes a hit, live like justin bieber in the wild ‘salad spinner house,’ churning on the market for $35m, dive into the hilarious meet the parents pool scene mansion, the remarkable drew barrymore hamptons house hits the market for $8.5m, may the 4th be with you in these star wars themed homes, drop anchor on this rare gesner designed boathouse in los angeles for $1.6m, the max azria estate goes to auction — no bid is too low, raquel welch’s longtime los angeles villa slinks onto the market for $3.9m, come on down—and buy bob barker’s historic home in the hollywood hills for $2.9m.

Las Vegas Underground House: A Bizarre Luxury Fallout Shelter

There are many details that make the Las Vegas Underground House so unusual, and that's beside the fact that it's a fallout shelter.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that there is more to Las Vegas than what meets the eye. Underneath Las Vegas is the Las Vegas Underground House - known as one of the most bizarre properties in the world. There are a few things in Vegas that are done a little differently.

Renting out and kitting out luxury bunkers is a real thing. One can rent out one's luxury survival bunker in South Dakota with Vivos xPoint. That is the largest luxury survival bunker complex in the world . Without a doubt, this underground Vegas dwelling is one of the most over-the-top doomsday bunkers in the world .

Vegas' Bizarre Luxury Fallout Shelter

Appearances can be deceiving and if one was to look at this private Las Vegas home from the street, one probably wouldn't think much of the property. The building on the surface is described by Undergroundhouse.vegas as a " fairly mundane, just a two-story house that looks like it was built sometime in the 1980's "

It is an outrageous concrete and steel doomsday bunker built so that its inhabitants could survive the nuclear holocaust (that thankfully never happened).

• Size: 14,620 Square Feet
• Type: Bomb Shelter Home
• Location: 2 Miles East of Vegas' City Center

The house is seemingly stuck in time from the 1970s and was listed in 2019 for $18 million.

• Value: Listed for $18 Million in 2019
• Depth: 26 Feet Below Ground

As one descends down 26 feet - out of the way of danger from the nuclear apocalypse, one finds an amazing treasure.

Underground and (theoretically) safe from the madness on the surface, the owners could enjoy their two hot tubs, sauna, dance floor, bar, swimming pool, and four-hole putting green. The main house has two bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Over the years this very unusual residence has hosted weddings, corporate meetings, receptions, and has featured in film and media.

• Built: In The 1970s

In total, the bunker has five bedrooms and six bathrooms (underneath a regular two-story townhouse).

The entrance to the bunker is camouflaged by rocks with an elevator leading down into the home. There is another staircase hidden in a backyard shed.

When it was put up for sale, it was stated that the home has repeaters that allow cellphone reception, cable, and internet below ground.

Related: Berlin Was Once Home To A Maze Of Over 1,000 Bunkers, And Many Are Open To The Public Today

Decoration of The Underground House

Its inhabitants didn't just want to have a bunker that would allow them to survive the nuclear war, they wanted to have the semblance of above-ground normality. In the bomb shelter home, one will be greeted with a yard with a pool, trees, a guest house, a BBQ, a spa, and a fountain.

All this is surrounded by 500 feet of floor-to-ceiling Murals. These murals are designed to recreate what owners used to enjoy with murals of the city and mountain views with lighting that simulates day as well as dusk and dawn.

This luxury cold war-era home is designed to be homely and to stop its refugees from going stir-crazy. It is full of life-like scenery, faux rocks, and artificial trees.

The murals are handpainted with scenes from homes that the original owner had around the world. Attention to detail was certainly taken with lights that could be adjusted to imitate different times of the day as well as twinkling stars on the ceiling to imitate the night sky.

• BBQ: The BBQ Is Boulder Encased
• "Outdoor" Area: The Bunker Has A Large "Outdoor" Area

The underground abode is certainly not wanting for color. If one thinks of survival bunkers as dank, dark, and depressing places without any color or life, think again. This place is where country cabin meets suburban housemaker vibe. But looking to splash in some more color it features pink toilets, a pink kitchen trim, and fake green grass carpets.

One can have a virtual tour on their website .

Related: Doomsday Food: All The Things That Preppers Should Hunker And Bunker Down With

The Owners Of The Underground Bunker Home

Jerry Henderson was a businessman and philanthropist and the director of Avon Products. He pioneered underground living and sponsored the Underground Home exhibit at the New York World's Fair in 1964.

• Builder: Jerry Henderson (Lived February 25, 1905 - November 16, 1983)

He lived in this underground home until his death in 1983. After his passing, his widow didn't want to continue living underground and so built the townhouse above ground. She lived there until her death in 1989.

In 2019 the owner of the bunker was Mark Voelker and some of its friends. He is the president of the Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species.

According to Forbes, the organization works towards emergency preparedness and the preservation of nearly extinct species.

It seems that some people have much more luxurious survival bunkers than those built for government workers - like the Congressional Fallout Shelter under the Greenbrier in West Virginia.

Next: What You Should Know About The Congressional Fallout Shelter

• 1-866-983-4279
• RECENTLY SEEN
• MY ACCOUNT Welcome to Vegas.com! Sign in to see deals of up to 50% off. Sign in ×
• Attractions

Porter Robinson - Smile World Tour

Search show.

Feel the music move through you as Porter Robinson brings down the house with his own blend of EDM, complextro, live at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Recently Seen

MORE GREAT SHOWS!

Cirque du soleil shows, best selling shows, magic shows, adult shows, comedy shows, tribute shows, hypnosis and mind reading shows, afternoon shows, select a date and time, porter robinson - smile world tour details & tips.

• Age restriction: No Age Restriction
• Location: BleauLive Theater, Fontainebleau Las Vegas
• Show times: 7:00 p.m.
• Prices From: $ 68.00

PORTER ROBINSON - SMILE WORLD TOUR DESCRIPTION

You know you've got some musical chops if at the young age of 18 the likes of legendary dubstep producer Skrillex has his eye on you. Self-made DJ and producer, Porter Robinson, has accomplished just that. The electro-house/synth-pop singer-songwriter oozes with talent. He's entirely self-taught and began producing music at the age of 12. Only five years later, in 2010, he officially made a name for himself in the electronic scene with the release of his single "Say My Name." 

Porter Robinson has continued to find success on his musical journey. With hit singles like "Language" and "Easy," and a Grammy nod for "Ghost Voices," he's etched out a place for himself amongst the electronic, house, and trance music genres. Now he's on the move during his Smile World Tour. Tickets to see Porter Robinson live in Las Vegas are on sale now. 

GUEST REVIEWS

Here’s when you can tour this Utah temple that the LDS Church relocated after community backlash

Dedication date is also set for a building that will be a first for this county..

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tooele's Deseret Peak Utah Temple, shown in May, will welcome guests this fall.

More than five years — and a whole lot of controversy — after it was first announced, Tooele County’s Latter-day Saint temple is preparing to open its door to the public before its dedication this fall.

The open house for the single-spired, three-story, 70,000-square-foot Deseret Peak Temple will kick off Sept. 26 and last through Oct. 19, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Monday . The building then will close ahead of a Nov. 10 dedication, after which only faithful members will be permitted to enter its vaulted walls.

The edifice, which was originally proposed for the nearby town of Erda , represents a first for Tooele County.

By comparison, Utah County, home to the church’s premier school, Brigham Young University, has eight existing or planned temples, the most of any county in the Beehive State, followed by Salt Lake County, with six.

The church’s historic temple-building spree has provoked some pushback across the country among neighbors wary of living in the shadow of the massive structures and their cloud-piercing spires.

In most cases, the church has dug in its heels, adamant that such complainers are classic NIMBYs (“not in my backyard”) who fail to recognize the benefits that come with having such a quiet and meticulously groomed neighbor.

Not in the case of the Deseret Peak Temple. The church originally sought to construct the building, then called the Tooele Valley Temple, in rural Erda along with a high-density housing project, but moved the site a few miles down the road to Tooele City after a year of intense debate that left residents with a lot to get over.

Equally rare was the faith’s governing First Presidency’s decision to weigh in publicly , expressing a “sincere desire on the part of the church to avoid discord in the community” and encouraged all people to treat one another with kindness and Christlike love.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Deseret Peak Utah Temple in Tooele is shown in May 2024. It will welcome public tours this fall.

Utah is currently home to 20 functioning Latter-day Saint temples: Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River (South Jordan), Layton ( dedicated Sunday ), Logan, Manti (rededicated in April), Monticello, Mount Timpanogos (American Fork), Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain (South Jordan), Orem , Payson, Provo City Center (converted from the former Provo Tabernacle ), Red Cliffs (St. George — dedicated in March ); Saratoga Springs, St. George , Taylorsville and Vernal.

The faith’s most-celebrated temple, the iconic six-spired Salt Lake Temple, in the heart of Utah’s capital, is undergoing a seismic upgrade and extensive renovation. It is expected to reopen in 2026.

The Space Age Provo Temple, meanwhile, is being overhauled. It will be renamed the Provo Rock Canyon Temple.

Besides Deseret Peak, seven more temples — Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lehi , Lindon, Smithfield, Syracuse and West Jordan — are either under construction or in planning stages. When all are completed, Utah will be home to 30 temples of the state’s predominant faith.

There are nearly 200 functioning Latter-day Saint temples worldwide.

For members, these sacred buildings represent nothing short of Houses of the Lord and, unlike their more common meetinghouses, places where devout members participate in their highest religious rites such as eternal marriage.

Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible

RELATED STORIES

Lds church announces 15 new temples. see where they’re going in utah and across the world., the lds church’s historic temple-building spree is fracturing communities across the country, utah gains another lds temple. this one is especially hard to miss., latest dedication gives utah 20 operating lds temples, with 10 more on the way, how a tiny utah community fought off an lds church housing project and lost a temple, after community pushback, lds church renames, relocates tooele temple, here are 5 food picks to enjoy in moab, utah lost 20% of its farmland. will the state try to protect what’s left, latest from mormon land: why all this fuss about temple steeples, nhl draft: these are the 10 burning questions, sunday school — monday through friday: oklahoma joins states with ‘release time’ laws letting k-12 kids leave school for religious lessons, featured local savings.