Las Vegas Mercury: Tales of Vegas Past: Going underground.

Thursday, July 24, 2003 Copyright � Las Vegas Mercury Tales of Vegas Past: Going underground

By Gregory Crosby

About 25 years ago, drivers traveling in southeast Las Vegas were confronted with the curious sight of a well-landscaped desert plot filled with large rocks and trees, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. An electronic gate stood closed over what could only be a driveway, but a driveway to what? Had they happened by at the right moment, perhaps they would have seen an elderly couple point a hand-held remote at one of the larger boulders and gaped in amazement as the rock face slid open, revealing a corridor that ended at an elevator that soon whisk the couple 25 feet below the surface of the Las Vegas Valley to another world: a 16,000-square-foot underground house complete with its own artificial yard, painted panoramic views and enough steel sheeting to withstand an earthquake and nuclear fallout.
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