Re: Greenbrier Resort
Author: Holly Gibson
Date: 04-11-2011 - 00:24
Carol L. Voss Wrote:
> Not sure where you are going with this "D' but it
> is no secret that underneath this luxurious
> Dorothy Draper decorated palace is a bunker built
> during WWII to house all the DC politicos in case
> of some kind of wartime attack. I believe they
> used to give tours of the area.
The Bunker was actually built later than what you stated, between 1959 and 1962 --- just in time for the Cuban Missle Crisis! And, yes, tours are available. From Wikipedia:
In the late 1950s, the U.S. government approached The Greenbrier for assistance in creating a secret emergency relocation center to house Congress in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. The classified, underground facility, named "Project Greek Island", was built at the same time as the West Virginia Wing, an above-ground addition to the hotel, from 1959 to 1962.
Although the bunker was kept stocked with supplies for 30 years, it was never actually used as an emergency location, even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The bunker's existence was not acknowledged until Ted Gup of the The Washington Post revealed it in a 1992 story; immediately after the Post story, the government decommissioned the bunker. The facility has since been renovated and is also used as a data storage facility for the private sector. It is once again featured as an attraction in which visitors can tour the now declassified facilities, now known as The Bunker.