Photo: Underground house (composite)
It’s not productive to spend time thinking about the worst that could happen, but prevention is better than any coping method you find when the worst HAPPENS. And if you’re planning for the worst, you might as well make sure you have fun.
During the Cold War, planning for the worst was a daily reality, and therefore an incredibly profitable business venture. Girard “Jerry” Henderson was a pioneer of underground living, but he made his fortune (and his legacy) as the director of Avon Cosmetics, the door-to-door cosmetics company that is still in business today. He also created the so-called Underground House in Las Vegas, USA.
Being a millionaire had a number of very distinct advantages, just as it does today, and one of them was the ability to do even ordinary things differently. So while mere mortals probably stockpiled emergency supplies, millionaires could afford to build themselves crazy bunkers, the kind that could house entire families and be self-sufficient for long periods. If the worst were to happen.
The Underground House is an apocalyptic concoction with very luxurious touches and, as such, a bizarre and fantastic example of architecture ready for the post-apocalypse. It was completed in 1979 and, despite its visibly dated style, it actually comes very close to making today's billion-dollar bunkers pale in comparison.
Photo: Underground house
Few details are available about the gestation of this project. As the majority shareholder of Underground World Homes, Inc., Henderson sponsored the Underground Home exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair and continually extolled the many health and wellness benefits of underground living. It's safe to say that this was not a whim, but a long-awaited dream. It was completed in 1979, but the lot beneath it did not receive a second two-story home until 1983, when Henderson's widow decided to move back up to live.
Henderson and his wife lived in the Underground House for the rest of his life, presumably reaping the benefits he was so happy to talk about at various events. They probably weren't bored with the entertainment, to say the least.
The house is a Las Vegas tourist staple, but it also makes the news regularly. It did so in 2020, when it went up for sale with an asking price of $18 million, and it did so again earlier this summer, with the release of photographer Alastair Philip Wiper’s latest project. Not much has changed about the house between those dates, or for that matter, since Henderson lived there.
Photo: Underground house
The house is 26 feet (7.9 meters) underground and is a real home within a fortified room whose walls are painted with murals showing views Henderson has seen in real life from outside his homes around the world. Unlike most bunkers today, which include fortified vaults for entire collections or large garages, or even aircraft storage, Henderson was more focused on personal comfort.
So, her bunker has none of that. What it does have is a large pool, multiple “outdoor” lounge areas, a cabana, a proper bar with neon lights and a decent selection of drinks, a living room with a huge fireplace, three bedrooms, and four bathrooms. We’re talking bathrooms with Roman-columned hot tubs, pink toilets, Renaissance frescoes, and rich velvet curtains, that sort of thing.
There's also a six-hole putting green and no less than two spas, one of which has a sauna. You can do without a lot of things when the end of the world comes, but you can't do without a good sweat.
Photo: Alastair Philip Wiper
With over 15,000 square feet (1,394 square meters) of living space, the Underground House has 12-foot (3.6 meter) ceilings and tricked-out “skies” that simulate sunrise and sunset, as well as daylight and a starry night sky. The steel support beams are disguised as trees and palm trees, effectively adding to the illusion that this is a real house. At least, from a distance, it is.
Amenities also include a billiards room, an outdoor grill area carefully camouflaged by a giant rock, a dance floor with specialized lights, and what looks a lot like a dancing pole in photos. Even if the world ended, Henderson and his guests wouldn't complain about the lack of entertainment options. Speaking of guests, the house sleeps 120.
Since it is a doomsday bunker, it is also full of self-contained features. There is air conditioning throughout, with the ground units disguised as rocks, a generator, fire and smoke alarms, and an intercom system. Entry is via a single secured door, with a surveillance camera monitoring anyone trying to enter. There are also large pantries for food storage.
Photo: Underground house
Underground House is now owned by the Church of Perpetual Life, a “transhumanist organization” whose goals include the extension of human life through cryogenics. It's a fitting chapter for a house that was designed and built to stand the test of time, along with whatever man – or the undead – would throw at it in the Apocalypse.
