Ghost Hunter Zak Bagans Buys 'Doomsday Mansion' in Las Vegas for $4.55 Million
The famed Cold War-era underground bunker, equipped with a pool and faux sky, will be preserved as a museum.
Television paranormal investigator Zak Bagans has purchased the "Las Vegas Underground House," a unique Cold War-era bunker mansion, for $4.55 million. The property, located just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, is buried 26 feet below ground and was originally built as a luxury survival retreat.
Bagans, known for the series "Ghost Adventures," plans to preserve the sprawling subterranean estate and eventually open it to the public as a museum. The 48-year-old investigator expressed his excitement about turning one of the city's most unusual private homes into a public attraction.
The property, situated at 3970 Spencer St., spans over an acre and includes five bedrooms and six bathrooms across the above-ground structure, the underground residence, and a casita. The primary draw is the 14,620-square-foot subterranean level, which features an indoor swimming pool, a putting green, a theater, a dance floor, a bar, saunas, hot tubs, hand-painted murals, sculpted artificial trees, and a programmable faux sky designed to simulate the cycle of day and night.
Completed in 1978 for Girard "Jerry" Henderson, an executive and philanthropist, the mansion was conceived as a high-end sanctuary for surviving nuclear Armageddon. Henderson, who had a long-standing interest in safety and underground living, collaborated with builder Jay Swayze, a proponent of underground construction. Swayze had previously built underground homes and fallout shelters, eventually forming World Underground Homes Corporation.
Henderson had commissioned his first underground home outside Boulder, Colorado, in 1963 and later invested in Swayze's company. The Las Vegas residence was designed to offer a luxurious experience, complete with climate control and 1970s-era aesthetics, aiming to make occupants forget they were underground.
The underground home's design incorporated elaborate murals of various landscapes, such as New Zealand and the Hollywood Hills, to create an illusion of being outdoors. Support columns were concealed by sculpted trees, and the lighting system mimicked natural daylight. The residence was also equipped with its own generator and water supply.
The property has attracted attention over the years, serving as a filming location for Imagine Dragons' music video for "Monday" and being featured in a viral clip by YouTuber MrBeast. It has also been used for private events and photoshoots.
Before Bagans' purchase, the mansion was on the market for several years. It sold in 2014 for $1.15 million to a nonprofit associated with life-extension research. The asking price was later reduced from $18 million in 2019 to $5.9 million, and it was relisted in 2025 for $8.5 million before the recent sale.
Bagans cited the home's Cold War and atomic-age history as a major draw. He also alluded to the property's rumored paranormal activity, noting that he was "shocked at the stories of hauntings" he heard during his initial walkthrough.
The purchase aligns with Las Vegas's historical connection to the atomic age, with the nearby Nevada Test Site hosting numerous nuclear tests. Bagans intends to use the mansion for a documentary and eventually allow public access, transforming a relic of Cold War anxieties and desert extravagance into a unique cultural attraction.