History of the KLASTV Howard Hughes House
The Story of the Hughes House at KLAS-TV
The year was 1951. The city was Las Vegas, NV.
The technological wonder known as Hoover Dam was 16 years old. It had been five years since the notorious Bugsy Siegel opened the doors to his Flamingo Hotel and Casino. At the time, the tiny town of Las Vegas had a population of less than 25,000, so a new motel--actually a string of green bungalows--being built at 336 Cathedral Way hardly caused any notice.
However, that one story motel nestled in the shadows of the much larger, and more popular Desert Inn, Bali Hai and Gold Key operations was to earn its place in Las Vegas history. In 1953, it was this motel that caught the eye of billionaire Howard Hughes. It was this motel that was to become Hughes' home whenever he was in Las Vegas.
Simple and unpretentious, this was the only Nevada house in which Howard Hughes lived. It was one of only three homes Hughes ever lived in during his entire lifetime.
Walter Kane, the great entertainment impresario of Las Vegas in the '50s, assisted Hughes in using, and eventually acquiring, the motel property on Cathedral Way. At the time, Hughes had thoughts of moving the headquarters for his vast business empire to Las Vegas. This home, soon to be known as the "green house," would be the site from which Hughes expected to direct the transfer of his operations. It was a move, by the way, which would never happen.
Instead, Hughes lived in the house in 1953 and 1954 whenever he was in Las Vegas. And very quickly, the house took on a very "Hughes" feel.
When Hughes moved into the house, he ordered the casement windows be sealed against the dust, pollen and germs which so preoccupied him. He demanded those germs should never penetrate into the house from the outside. So determined was Hughes to keep his personal airspace pure that he also installed airlocks on the doors into the structure. A person would have to close a door to the harshness Hughes perceived existed in the outside world, before specially-designed hydraulics would permit the door affording entry into the house to be opened.
When Hughes left the home for the final time in 1954 he left detailed instructions on how the house was to be sealed until he could return. A massive air conditioner and air recycler were installed in the back of the house to insure the purity of the air. Inside, his clothes continued to hang in the closet. All of his belongings remained exactly as he had left them. His orders were that they be left untouched and inaccessible to anyone other than himself or someone he might designate.
And that's how things stayed for the next 21 years. Or so we think. There is no official record that anyone visited the house during the following two decades, however when the house was reopened in 1976 (following Hughes' death) some people who visited the house report seeing newspapers from the '60s. Those newspapers featured stories about nuclear bomb tests in the Nevada desert which was one of Hughes' most haunting phobias. Reports that these newspapers were actually in the house were never confirmed.
Hughes died on April 5, 1976. Two years later, Landmark Communications, Inc., purchased KLAS-TV from the Summa estate. The "green house" and adjoining bungalows were a part of the purchase since the land offered opportunity for Landmark to expand. However, the Summa estate was granted one year's occupancy of the house following the sale. That occupancy lasted until July, 1979.
After Hughes' death, the "green house" was opened by Summa emissaries who were searching for a will that could detail the future of the company and the holdings of Howard Hughes. They scoured the house--looking inside of walls, behind bricks in the fireplace, under the floor and inside anything that might have hidden the "ultimate" treasure of its time--but never did find the document there. Sadly, they also failed to note how the house had become a veritable time capsule of Hughes' life, containing his pictures, personal effects, bedding, clothes and even some food. No one bothered to preserve the history of the home where Howard had lived.
When the house was reopened, a number of KLAS employees were invited to look inside. Joan Carlton remembered the scene she saw:
"In spite of the excessive damage that had been done to the home by people searching for the elusive will, the atmosphere was heavy with memories--real and imagined. On the kitchen counter was a jar of mustard, elsewhere you could find cans of food and some unopened cereal boxes. In the master bedroom was a closet full of Mr. Hughes clothes. In the baths (there were two of them) soap was still in the dishes, towels still on the racks. And phones were everywhere! Two and three in every room, including both baths!"
Once Landmark took full ownership of the home, the decision was made to remodel some areas and restore others in the style of the '50s.
Four modifications were made at the time: the home's original kitchen was made into a wet bar adjoining the living room to accommodate parties in the facility, the room Hughes had used to view his movies was converted into a dining room; an almost totally destroyed pantry was made into a kitchen and the massive, outdated air conditioning/purifying equipment at the back of the house was removed to give way to a redwood patio and jacuzzi.
Additionally, a dozen pieces of furniture or equipment that were originally in the home when Howard Hughes occupied it were salvaged. They are: Hughes personal desk and chair, his "Voicewriter" dictaphone, his reel-to-reel tape recorder, a unit that was designed to make telephone contact between Hughes' home and the other adjoining bungalow units and eight telephones, including a historic volume-control model, that the phone company restored to working order.
Landmark originally used the restored "Hughes Home" for three purposes: a first-class rental property for executives and management personnel, a party house for station events or the use of major clients and a residence to house prospective candidates for news anchor or management positions at KLAS-TV. The bungalows adjoining the house were converted into rental apartments.
However, the age of the facility and the growth needs of KLAS-TV dictated more changes in the 1990's. In 1997, the need to provide parking for the station's more than 130 employees led to the demolition of the rental properties and the construction of a secured parking lot. In 1998, the growth of KLAS-TV's Interactive Department and creation of the LAS VEGAS ONE all-news cable channel added more than a dozen people to KLAS-TV's already crowded facility so the decision was made to move the Interactive Department offices into the Hughes House.
This latest move was made with the intention of preserving as much of the history of the facility as possible, and showcasing its original pieces. Also, an effort was made to decorate the home with historic photos and memorabilia that would tell the story of one of the world's most eccentric, and memorable, men.
A man whose early life was marked by his heroism, unprecedented wealth, extraordinary vision and enormous fame, but later gave way to extreme eccentricity, pity, ridicule and even shame.
THE HUGHES HOUSE -- A Room By Room Tour
Howard Hughes used this house as his local residence whenever he was in Nevada during the years 1953 and 1954. Hughes disappeared from public view in 1955.
THE LIVING ROOM
This room is where Howard Hughes conducted most of his business meetings. His desk and chair were originally in this room along with his Edison Voicewriter and reel-to-reel tape recorder used by Hughes and his secretaries.
The Voicewriter and tape recorder sit atop a large box with a number of switches which is believed to have been a personal communication systems for Hughes to contact the other bungalows that adjoined his house.
Two of Hughes' eight telephones are found in this room (southwest and northeast corners).
On the walls of this room, you find the following pictures:
Today, this room is the sales office for KLAS-TV's Interactive Department.
THE KITCHEN
The home's original kitchen was converted to a wet bar in the late '70s. The wooden table and chair were part of Hughes' original decor.
You can still see the heat exchange that topped a huge, rectangular steel stove (the kind that seemed more appropriate in a restaurant than a small house). When this stove or one of the home's air conditioning units broke, Howard Hughes did not want repairmen working on the equipment in his house. Instead, he had a shed at the back of the home which had a duplicate stove, duplicate air conditioners and other equipment in their original boxes so that any broken equipment could be removed and brand new units put in their place.
Another original telephone sits atop the counter of the wet bar. The volume-control telephone is on the west wall. It still contains the amplifiers which Hughes needed to compensate for his hearing loss and the fact that in this room there might be the loud noise of his movie projector which sat on the wood ledge where you see the opening to the adjoining room where Hughes watch his beloved movies.
On the walls of this room, you find the following pictures:
Today, this room houses a work station that can be used by visitors to KLAS-TV's Interactive Department.
THE HUGHES VIEWING ROOM (Den)
Howard Hughes used the den are to watch his movies, mainly westerns. An interesting feature of the room is the picture window on the west wall that slopes up and out (rather than straight up and down) ostensibly to bounce light away from the room where the movies were being projected.
This room with its lovely coved hardwood ceiling and recessed lighting is easily one of the most striking rooms in the house. It appears this entire room was added to the home sometime after the original construction, possibly by Hughes for the specific purpose of showing his movies.
On the walls of this room, you find the following pictures:
Today, this area is a conference room for KLAS-TV's Interactive Department. The office chair Hughes used during his days in the house sits in the southeast corner. House rules say the chair may not be used during meetings so that the "old man" can join any meetings that peak his interest.
THE HUGHES BEDROOM
When the house was opened after Hughes death, personal items--including many of his clothes--were discovered in the close and drawers. They had remained untouched for over 21 years.
The unassuming and unpretentious nature of the room is a striking contrast to the man himself. Even the pulls on the doors and drawers are solid white with absolutely no design. Other than the bathrooms and kitchen, this is the smallest room in the house.
Another of Hughes' telephones is found in this room.
On the walls of this room, you find:
THE GUEST BEDROOM
The guest bedroom is about twice the size of the master bedroom. It appears this room was used by women who stayed at the house. It is believed Jane Russell (female lead in Hughes movie "The Outlaw") stayed in the home for a short time. The pulls on the doors and closets are identical to the ones in the master bedroom except for the fact that they have a rose painted on them. Also in the room is a rose-tinted make-up mirror. In the '50s, gentlemen had rose-tinted mirrors installed for ladies since it was felt they added a glow to the image being reflected and hid wrinkles that might otherwise have been seen. This room was also used by Hughes' aides and guests who came to the house. Another of Hughes' telephones is found in this room. On the walls of this room, you find: A photo of a young Howard Hughes on location during the shooting of "The Outlaw." This room, during the 1990s, used to house the Internet servers and production area for KLAS-TV's Interactive Department.
THE MODERN KITCHEN
A modern kitchen was built in the area which formerly housed the pantry for the home. This was done to accommodate the full use of the house for visitors and overnight guests after Landmark took possession. In the original days, this pantry housed the gauges that monitored the operation of the airlocks on the entry doors and the air conditioning and air purifying equipment.
THE MASTER BATH
This room is in the original decor as was used by Hughes.
THE PATIO
This area originally housed a massive water tower, air conditioner and air recycling unit to purify the air for Howard Hughes. It was these units that kept the house sealed from the time of his departure until his death. Since the items were antiquated and no longer useful, the space was converted into a covered patio with a very small cactus garden.
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