A hidden Las Vegas bunker built during the Cold War has found a new owner: Discovery's "Ghost Adventures" host and executive producer Zak Bagans, who says the unusual property may become accessible to the public.
According to Realtor.com, Bagans paid $4.55 million for the so-called Underground House and says his goal is to preserve it before turning it into a museum.
What looks like an ordinary residence near the Strip conceals a far more elaborate space 26 feet below ground, including a pool, putting green, theater, bar, dance floor, and a programmable artificial sky.
Here's what to know
Per Realtor.com, the five-bedroom, 16,936-square-foot Nevada property was listed for $5.9 million at the time of the sale, and Bagans was represented by Rob Jensen of Rob Jensen Company.
Before this transaction, the home had been listed in 2019 with an asking price of $18 million. The seller, the Stasis Foundation & Charitable Trust, had purchased it in March 2014 for $1,150,000.
Listing agent Holly Erker of IS Luxury said the buyer stood out in part because he already operates Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum and had "a team in place who knew what they were going to need." Bagans also said in an Instagram post that he wants the property to become something more than a private residence.
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More background
According to Realtor.com, the underground residence dates to 1978, when businessman Jerry Henderson and architect Jay Swayze created it as an "Atomitat," a style of home intended to simulate above-ground living during the Cold War.
Jerry Henderson lived there with his wife, Mary Henderson, until his death in 1983.
Mary Henderson did not continue living solely in the bunker after that. Instead, she had a smaller conventional house built above it and stayed there until her death in 1989.
Much of the interior is designed to mimic life outdoors, with landscape murals, a ceiling painted as a sky with clouds and stars, sculpted trees hiding support columns, a fountain, and green carpeting meant to resemble grass.
What's being done?
Bagans' plan calls first for preservation, with public access to follow.
J. Dean Barry, executive director of the Stasis Foundation & Charitable Trust, said the estate underwent county-required modifications and secured a special-use permit, leaving it "really more of a hybrid property now with the ability to support a range of business-related activities."
Erker said tours were kept highly selective during the sales process because the home's history mattered as much as its size.
"It was a three-hour commitment to show the home," she said, per Realtor.com. "People ask questions and we wanted to give the history of the home. It didn't seem right to show the home without giving the history. We kept it limited to very qualified and serious buyers."
The sellers were not looking for someone drawn only to the novelty of the place; they also wanted a buyer who cared about its history, its operations, and its future as a public destination.
Erker added, "Zak saw the potential of the house and was incredibly excited about the history. Ultimately, everyone is so happy and so excited that the home's history is going to be protected and it will be a public space for people to enjoy. I think the home deserves that."
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