- A house in Los Angeles that was built to withstand an atomic bomb is on the market for nearly $30 million.
- According to The Wall Street Journal, it was built in the 1950s by the Hollywood contractor – and playboy – Hal Braxton Hayes.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
A Los Angeles mansion that was built to withstand a nuclear war is on the market for $29.995 million.
According to the listing, the property was built in the 1950s by a Hollywood contractor. The house was featured in the book “California Design 1930-1965,” where the contractor was quoted saying that he built a nuclear shelter under the swimming pool, which he believed would act as a decontaminant. The shelter is accessible by a tunnel under the pool. The listing agent told both Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal’s Katherine Clarke that he believes the shelter is still there, although he doesn’t think anyone has checked on it in recent years – and he hasn’t himself.
The home no longer displays some other unusual features it once had, such as the purple stripes across its exterior and the distinctive symbol that were both hallmarks of the late R&B singer Prince, who was renting it from former owner and NBA player Carlos Boozer. Another sadly bygone element of the house is a Cold War-era fixture, when a car was permanently suspended off a ledge, where it served as a bar.
The estate includes an 18,000-square-foot home with 10 bedrooms, a 3,300-square-foot guest house, and two vacant parcels. It’s currently represented by Jason Oppenheim of the Oppenheim Group.
Keep reading for a look at the 2.2-acre property.
This Los Angeles home was built to withstand an atomic bomb, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It is located in Beverly Hills — a swanky locale that is home to many celebrities and expensive estates. There, the median home value is $2 million.
According to the listing, the property was built in 1953 by Hal Braxton Hayes, a Hollywood contractor.
The property boasts an 18,000-square-foot home with 10 bedrooms, a 3,300-square-foot English Tudor-style guest house, and two vacant parcels.
The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Clarke reported that because Hayes built the home during the Cold War, he included two bomb shelters: one underground and the other inside the house.
According to Clarke, the home was also built with a fluted design so it could resist shock waves. Sadly, the home no longer features a car, permanently suspended off a ledge, that served as a bar.
The shelter that was built inside, which included a sitting room and a bathroom, has since been converted into part of the home.
However, the underground nuclear shelter is still believed to be there.
According to Clarke, the shelter is accessed by swimming through a tunnel under the swimming pool.
The listing agent, Jason Oppenheim, told Clarke that while he doesn't think anyone has checked on the shelter in recent years, he believes it's still there.
Along with the pool-slash-bomb shelter, the home boasts a variety of amenities including a ballroom with a stripper pole, a four-car garage, and a gym.
There is even an outdoor tennis court.
The 2.2-acre property also showcases impressive views of Los Angeles.
