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The Underground Home 1964 World's FairIt's a spacious, secure home that could probably fetch a pretty penny on today's NYC real estate market - the only problem is that no one knows if it still exists. The mystery centers around The Underground World Home, a 12,000-square-foot subterranean residence that was built for the <a href="http://nywf64.com">1964 World's Fair</a> at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. After the fair ended, almost all of the exhibits were ordered to be demolished, but some think that the Underground Home's creator, Jay Swayze, may have left it intact. After all, why pay exorbitant demolition fees to remove the home when you could just tear down its above-ground pavilion and cover the entrance with some dirt? 50 years later, historians, students and regular Joes with shovels are still asking the question, "<a href="http://narrative.ly/the-past-is-present/is-it-down-there/">Is it down there?</a>"1
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairOperations Drawing courtesy of <a href="http://worldsfairphotos.com/nywf64/operations-drawings-manual/index.htm">Worldfairphotos.com</a>The 12,000-square-foot home was built inside of a 15-foot ditch near the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Hall_of_Science">New York Hall of Science</a>, and was extolled by The Wall Street Journal as “a new frontier for family living.”2
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairFairgoers willing to pay the admission price of $1 for adults or fifty cents for children could make their way down a staircase into the ten-room residence, but what they stepped into was much more than just a bunker.3
Underground Home Living RoomPhoto from the <a href="http://nywf64.com/undrghome04.shtml">Underground Home souvenir booklet</a> of a similar home in Colorado depicting how occupants could "dial" up outside views ranging from San Francisco's Golden Gate to New York's skyline depending on their whims.4
The Underground Home 1964 World's Fair1964 World's Fair publicity photo via <a href="http://worldsfairphotos.com/">Worldsfairphotos.com</a>. The Underground Home's could be accessed via an above-ground entrance complex, which included a snack bar and a stairway down to the subterranean house.5
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairAccording to the exhibit's <a href="http://nywf64.com/undrghome04.shtml">souvenir brochure</a>, the "view" seen through the home's windows could even be dialed up at the occupant's whim.6
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairLighting could also be controlled using the residence's sophisticated lighting system as explained in the pamplet: "Dimmers and a specially designed low-voltage light control system permit a rising sun effect in the kitchen, while a star-filled night blankets the "outdoor" patio."7
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairThe Underground World Home's dwellings had a spacious terrace's to counteract the feeling of being cooped up inside.8
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairPhoto from the <a href="http://nywf64.com/undrghome04.shtml">Underground Home souvenir booklet</a>The Underground World Home Corporation proposed other subterranean dwellings, such as this underground motel.9
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairPhoto from the <a href="http://nywf64.com/undrghome04.shtml">Underground Home souvenir booklet</a><p>Or an underground shopping mall.10
The Underground Home 1964 World's FairPhoto from the <a href="http://nywf64.com/undrghome04.shtml">Underground Home souvenir booklet</a>Or even an underground night club.11
