Physics:Underground House Colorado

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Short description: Underground House in Colorado
Underground House Colorado
Mountain Home
Stapp Lakes Ranch
Underground House Colorado.jpg
Entrance to the underground house in Ward, Colorado
General information
TypePrivate
Architectural styleRanch-style house
LocationWard, Colorado
AddressBeaver Reservoir Road
CountryU.S.
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] 40°7′5″N 105°32′42″W / 40.11806°N 105.545°W / 40.11806; -105.545
Opened1964
Closedca. 1988
Cost$200,000
OwnerSacred Mountain Ashram
Height
ArchitecturalUnderground
Technical details
MaterialConcrete and steel
Size3,400 sq ft (320 m2)
Floor count1
Design and construction
ArchitectJay Swayze
Architecture firmUnderground World Homes

The Underground House in Ward, Colorado, was a subterranean dwelling known for its architectural design, which embraced the concept of underground living. The house was designed by architect Julian "Jay" Swayze (1923–1981) in the 1960s. The dwelling is an example of an unconventional approach to residential construction and integration with the natural environment. It was included in the Underground World Home exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair.[1][2]

History

In 1964, Girard Henderson had an underground home built on a 320 acres (130 ha) mountain ranch located near Ward, Colorado.[3][4]

The construction was completed by builders Julian "Jay" and Kenneth Swayze, from Plainview, Texas.[5] The Swayze brothers established a company known as Underground World Homes, specializing in the design and construction of full-sized underground residences. On May 13, 1963, Swayze initiated the process of securing a patent for his underground home design. Patent US3227061A was officially granted to Swayze on January 4, 1966, recognizing the underground home concept. This patent marked a milestone in the development of underground dwelling technologies.[6] Swayze's approach led them to create various underground homes, including one that Jay Swayze resided in with his wife and two daughters called Atomitat. It was the first home in the U.S. to meet civil defense specifications for a nuclear shelter. Henderson became intrigued by the idea and decided to invest, acquiring a 51 percent share of Underground World Homes.[1][7]

During that same year, Henderson undertook the construction of an almost identical underground home, sponsoring the Underground World Home exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair, copying the concept pioneered by the Swayze brothers.[8][9][10]

Henderson and his wife spent time on the property.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

Underground near House Ward, Colorado

The Swayze brothers authored a book titled Underground Gardens & Homes: The best of two worlds, above and below.[2] Published in 1980, the book delved into the nuclear age, addressing the imperative need for comprehensive planning to safeguard ourselves from potential adverse consequences.[7]

Situated twenty-eight miles (45 km) northwest of Boulder, Colorado and at an elevation of 9,500 ft (2,900 m) above sea level, the dwelling, dubbed "Mountain Home" by its contractors, employed a building technique known as "ship-in-a-bottle", that deployed mountain top removal, followed by the pouring of a concrete shell, and finally the reinstatement of the mountain top.[1][2]

Design

Underground Home interior photos
Underground Home living room
Underground Home swimming pool

The Ranch-style house one-level 3,400 sq ft (320 m2) underground earth shelter was designed to blend with the surroundings with earth against the walls and on the roof. It had a brick veneer siding but was enclosed in a waterproof concrete shell and covered with a compacted earth berm. The entrance was created to look like an opening to a mineshaft. To make the house functional, over $104,000 (equivalent to $857,330 in 2019) was spent on the hydroelectric system that supplied the underground dwelling with power. Water for the system flowed from glacial snowpack on Mt. Audubon.[5] More than $200,000 (equivalent to $1,648,712 in 2019 was spent in total to make the house livable.[15]

To imitate the comforts of above-ground living, the wood-frame home had three-bedrooms, a swimming pool, and fake "outdoor" patio.[11] Because the house had no window, artist Jewell Smith painted Trompe-l'œil murals depicting the New York City skyline from the living room and the Golden Gate Bridge from a bedroom.[17][1] Windows within the structure revealed a narrow corridor that served as a separation between the "exterior" wall and the concrete retaining wall. As noted by architecture historian Beatriz Colomina in her book, Domesticity at War, this architectural element disrupted the conventional notions of inside and outside.[18] The house had a remote-controlled lighting system that could imitate the night sky and sunrise.[7] Additionally, a fireplace channeled smoke through a fake tree trunk to the surface.[11]

Current State

After Henderson died on November 16, 1983, the Colorado mountain property, including the underground home, was put up for sale for $1.5 million dollars. It was purchased for $1.17 million by the Sacred Mountain Ashram on June 9, 1988 from a mysterious reclusive millionaire who was "terrified...of being caught in a nuclear holocaust." After the sale, the exterior walls of the underground house were dug free of dirt, windows were built to allow sunlight to come into the home.[16][5]

See also

Publications

  • Alexander Dawson School, Nothing Without Labor of Love of the Land, Alexander Dawson School, Lafayette, Colorado, 2012
  • Colorado Mountain Hideaway," Previews Inc., Denver, Colorado, 1986
  • Add A Fourth "R"...Responsibility," Colorado Junior Republic School, Lafayette, Colorado, ca. 1973
  • CJR Health Education Center, Alexander Dawson School, Lafayette, Colorado
  • The Hub, The Colorado Junior Republic, Volume 2, 1973-1974

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Greg Castillo. "Underground Dream World". UC Berkeley's Graduate Architectural Journal (8). http://www.roomonethousand.com/underground-dream-world. Retrieved 2023-06-07. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Swayze, Jay (1980). Underground Gardens & Homes: The Best of Two Worlds, Above and Below. Hereford, Texas: Geobuilding Systems. pp. 33, 136. https://books.google.com/books?id=2gm4GQAACAAJ. 
  3. ↑ "The Pacific Reporter". West Publishing Company 168. 1918. https://books.google.com/books?id=awwAAAAAMAAJ&dq=Stapp+lakes+I.S.+Stapp&pg=RA10-PA17. Retrieved 2023-06-15. 
  4. ↑ "Stapp Lakes Lodge". Boulder Public Library, Carnegie Library. 1920. https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A37337. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Ashram bring light to retreat". The Mountain-Ear (Nederland, Colorado) 12 (1). October 13, 1988. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=MNE19881013-01&e=--1940-----en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22Jerry+Henderson%22+underground-------0------. Retrieved 2023-06-08. 
  6. ↑ "Underground building". IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. January 4, 1966. https://patents.google.com/patent/US3227061A/en. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Underground luxury homes remain hidden across country". The Napa Valley Register (Napa, California). May 3, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-napa-valley-register-underground-hom/126358848/. 
  8. ↑ Hirshon, Nicholas (17 October 2012). "The Secret Spot Hidden Below New York". Narratively. https://narratively.com/is-it-down-there/. 
  9. ↑ McDonough, Doug (12 October 2013). "Looking Back: 1964 World's Fair featured Swayze underground home". Plainview Herald. https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Looking-Back-1964-World-s-Fair-featured-Swayze-8417921.php. 
  10. ↑ Porter, Donald J. (2019). A jet powered life : Allen E. Paulson, aviation entrepreneur (Illustrated ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 114. ISBN 978-1476676562. https://books.google.com/books?id=NhKSDwAAQBAJ&dq=Underground+World+Home+world%27s+fair&pg=PT122. Retrieved 24 April 2022. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Colorado Family Lives in Underground House". Enterprise-Record (Chico, California). September 11, 1964. https://www.newspapers.com/article/enterprise-record-underground-home/124817462/. 
  12. ↑ Greg Castillo. "Underground Dream World". UC Berkeley's Graduate Architectural Journal (8). http://www.roomonethousand.com/underground-dream-world. Retrieved 2023-06-07. 
  13. ↑ Welch, Bryan (November 8, 1981). "Colorado's Free Enterprise High". The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California): p. 310. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-1981-11-08-co/48607571/. 
  14. ↑ Carlson, Jen (20 March 2017). "Is The 1960s World's Fair Underground Home Still There? An Investigation". https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/is-the-1960s-worlds-fair-underground-home-still-there-an-investigation. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Louis Kilzer (1983). "Colorado's mystery millionaire". Denver Post. https://www.denverpost.com/. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Ashram buys pristine mountain retreat". The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado). August 8, 1988. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel-henderson-mountain-re/126059837/. 
  17. ↑ McClure, Wanda (9 March 1964). "Muralist to Feature Work at New York World's Fair". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100407957/underground-world-home-murals/. 
  18. ↑ Colomina, Beatriz (2007). Domesticity at War. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262033619. https://books.google.com/books?id=Qs2MEAAAQBAJ. Retrieved 14 June 2023. 

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