The Vault of Legislators

Jesse Walker | July 22, 2010

Bryan Alexander describes one gothic remnant of the Cold War: a set of underground chambers that were supposed to serve as "an emergency shelter for the entire United States Congress, a hideout and bolt hole in case of nuclear war, hidden away beneath a benign-looking hotel." Built in 1958, the secret fortress is located in West Virginia, which apparently was a magnet for federal construction projects even then. Alexander notes that "no Representative nor Senator would be allowed their families," which suggests a terrifying world where you have no company for all eternity except a few hundred politicians and their aides. I think I'd take my chances on the surface.