I've had the pleasure of visiting the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a couple of times. While the stays were great both times, I regretted not being able to visit the bunker as it was under renovation. After 9-11, my friends and I speculated that it was being renovated to again stand in wait for evacuation of Congress in the event of a nuclear attack. Apparently not as it is open for tours.
This is from an article in The Greenbrier Magazine, Fall 2006:
THE GREENBRIER IS LETTING YOU IN ON A LITTLE SECRET--make that a big secret--with the reopening of a once-covert bunker designed to house members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in case of nuclear attack.
The former U.S. Government Relocation Facility, commonly known as the "bunker," a 35-year partnership between the Greenbrier and the U.S. government, reopened in July for tours following major repairs and renovations.
"Visitors can now see artifacts and reproductions of the bunker's security and communications areas, dormitories, VIP lounges and medical clinic," says Dr. Robert S. Conte, Greenbrier historian.
For the uninitiated, the 112,544 square-foot concrete and steel bunker was hidden in plain sight, built 70 feet beneath the Greenbrier's West Virginia Wing. Construction lasted from 1958 through 1961.
The reason for construction, Greenbrier officials explained at the time, was for an exhibit hall, clinic and about 100 guest rooms. Construction workers and contractors may have suspected something was unusual--about 55 tons of concrete were delivered to the site and a 25-ton blast door was installed--but denials were always issued.
Upon completion, the bunker was maintained by a small group of government employees working as Forsythe Associates, a "company" hired by the resort for audio/visual support services.
For the next 30 years, Forsythe Associates kept the bunker in a constant state of readiness, updating communications and other equipment.
The long secrecy ended May 31, 1992, when The Washington Post published a story exposing the bunker. Three years later, the U.S. government ended the lease agreement with the Greenbrier, which began offering tours of the historic structure.
"After we began offering tours, some groups chose theme parties that related to the bunker setting," says Jerry Wayne, the resort's vice president of sales and marketing. "Among the more popular theme parties were James Bond, M*A*S*H, and patriotic themes."
Recent renovations added five meeting rooms, ranging from 670-730 square feet, now allowing groups to gather where the most powerful people in the world might once have assembled in a national crisis
"Meetings have played an integral role in the bunker history since its completion in 1962," Wayne says. "Part of the cover story for the bunker was the addition of the Exhibit Hall and two meeting rooms, which were made available to groups meeting at the Greenbrier. During the 30 years that the bunker was a secret, groups were meeting there and enjoying theme parties and dinners, without realizing they were in a top-secret government facility. They never realized that the Exhibit Hall was actually designed to be the work place for the Congressional staff."
Daily guest tours are available. Public tours are available twice a week from the White Sulphur Springs Civic Center. For information and reservations, call the Civic Center or the Greengrier at 800-852-5440.
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A sidebar from the same article:
INSIDE THE BUNKER
The secret bunker was designed to house and protect hundreds of people. The bunker contained:
-18 dormitories, designed to accommodate more than 1100 people in bunk beds;
-a power plant with three 25,000-gallon water storage tanks and purification equipment, as well as three 14,000 gallon diesel fuel storage tanks;
-a communications area, which included a television production area and audio recording booths;
-a clinic area with 12 hospital beds, medical and dental operating rooms, laboratory, pharmacy, and intensive care unit.
[Illustrations: from Greenbrier slideshow: Secret access to bunker from within the Greenbrier; 25-ton blast door leading into the bunker; Large Congressional meeting room.]
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