One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Secret Tunnels Were Built Under The Playboy Mansion In The 1970s
The Playboy Mansion grotto, 2002. (Getty)
The home at 10236 Charing Cross Road has been a vault of secrets ever since Hugh Hefner got the keys in 1971 (though he didn't fully move in for three more years), and one of those secrets just got dug up today.
The 1970s were THE decade to be invited to the Playboy Mansion, and it seems some stars wanted easy-access. Playboy.com reported today that secret tunnels were being built from the mansion to the homes of Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Kirk Douglas and James Caan. At the time, the actors all lived nearby.
One of our editors found some Polaroids from 1977 that showed a large excavation project at The Mansion. We asked the new general manager at The Mansion about these photos. He said, very matter-of-factly, "that’s probably when they built the tunnels in the 70s."
A visit to the mansion led to the discovery of blueprints and plans for the tunnels, which contained the aforementioned names. While there, a current staffer also told them that the tunnels were sealed up around 1989.
So, there were tunnels to celebrity homes built underneath the Playboy Mansion... http://t.co/t6XphbxOO6 pic.twitter.com/yBDVEHo3r2
— Playboy (@Playboy) March 30, 2015
You'll find photos of all the blueprints and Polaroids right here.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
