Inside the most luxurious - and weirdest - Cold War bunker ever built: Vegas home with 1970s time-capsule bomb-proof basement is bought by mystery group
- Girard Henderson was a wealthy businessman who worked for Avon and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp
- He was convinced the Cold War would end in a nuclear fallout, and lived in underground Las Vegas bunker
- Ordinary two-story house at 3970 Spencer Street has 15,000-square-foot bunker 26 feet below ground
- Bunker is complete with swimming pool, fireplace, hot tubs, sauna, four-hole putting green, and dance floor
- Home was recently purchased for $1.15million in 2014 by mysterious group headed by Mark Voelkner
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- September 17th, 2016
What appears to be an ordinary, two-story house in Las Vegas conceals a luxurious 15,200-square-foot underground bunker built in in 1978.
Girard 'Jerry' B. Henderson, a wealthy businessman who worked for companies like Avon cosmetics and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, was convinced the Cold War would end in a nuclear fallout, the Review Journal reported.
And so he and his wife made the case for living underground, sponsoring the Underground Home exhibit at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 before building their own bunker.
The 5,000-square-foot home sitting above ground remained empty, while the couple lived safely sequestered 26-feet below 3970 Spencer Street in a bomb proof, quake proof, and bug proof bunker, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
An ordinary, two-story house at 3970 Spencer Street in Las Vegas (pictured) conceals a luxurious 15,200-square-foot underground bunker 26-feet below the earth
Girard 'Jerry' B. Henderson, a wealthy businessman who worked for companies like Avon cosmetics and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, was convinced the Cold War would end in a nuclear fallout. Pictured, his underground home
He and his wife made the case for living underground, sponsoring the Underground Home exhibit at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. They first built their own bunker in Colorado, before completing their masterpiece in Nevada (Pictured)
The 5,000-square-foot home sitting above ground remained empty, while the couple lived safely sequestered 26-feet below 3970 Spencer Street in a bomb proof, quake proof, and bug proof bunker (pictured, the underground pool)
Fake trees, a painted backdrop, green 'grass' carpets, and light settings mimicked the conditions outside
But the bunker home wasn't just an exercise in bare necessities, and the Hendersons lived with subterranean hot tubs, sauna, four-hole putting green (top), dance floor, bar, and barbecue. Bottom, a fake owl in one of the trees
Henderson went as far as to showcase his style with a lavish pink-trim kitchen in the underground unit
The home was completed in 1978, and much of the decor reflects the times. After Mr Henderson and his wife died in the 1980s, a relative took over the extraordinary home
But the bunker home wasn't just an exercise in bare necessities, and the Hendersons lived in the comfort of their subterranean swimming pool, fireplace, hot tub, sauna, four-hole putting green, dance floor, bar, and barbecue.
Henderson went as far as to showcase his style with a lavish pink-trim kitchen and pink bathroom, while fake trees, a painted backdrop, green 'grass' carpets, and light settings mimicked the conditions outside.
After Mr Henderson and his wife died in the 1980s, a relative took over the extraordinary home. It changed hands and one owner lost the home through foreclosure in 2012.
Most recently, a mysterious group called the Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species bought the house for $1.15million in 2014, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
The group, listed as a non-profit educational organization, is headed by Mark Voelker who has received a number of science degrees from schools like University of Arizona and Caltech, according to his LinkedIn.
Voelker was also cited in a 2013 Buzzfeed article about Alcor Life Extension Foundation, which promises to freeze its members (which includes Voelker) with the promise of bringing them back to life.
It changed hands and one owner lost the home through foreclosure in 2012. Most recently, a mysterious group called the Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species bought the house for $1.15million in 2014, according to property records
Realtor Winston King who was handling the sale of the home in 2013, told the Review Journal Henderson imported about $1million of marble from Italy. Pictured, yellow floral wallpaper matches the drapes
Light settings, ranging from 'day' to 'dusk', give the impression that the underground bunker is outside. The ceiling is painted sky blue, and lights can be adjusted for 'stars' to shine through at night
The Society for the Preservation of Near Extinct Species bought the house for $1.15million in 2014. The group is headed by Mark Voelker, was also cited in a 2013 Buzzfeed article about cryonics
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