An early Nevada gambling innovator and character, William F. Harrah owned one of the world’s largest car museums, was married seven times including a brief marriage to singer Bobbie Gentry (‘Ode to Billie Joe’), and helped create the Nevada State Gaming Control Board.  At the height of the Depression, Harrah parlayed a $500 investment when he bought his father’s interests in a small-time California gaming sideshow into one of the state’s largest casino and hotel enterprises. Following the success of his Lake Tahoe casino/hotel, in 1963 Harrah broke ground for his Tahoe mansion, Villa Harrah, in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. It is now for sale at $25.75 million.

Since he was one of the first to build on Lake Tahoe, Harrah was able to pick a prime waterside location.  Already a master of the hospitality industry, his 20,000-square-foot home was to be the epitome of luxury. In anticipation of his future celebrity guests, Harrah knew that they needed to escape the spotlight occasionally and have the freedom to kick up their heels without fear of Wiley photographers hiding in the bushes or the teenager from next door appearing unexpectedly begging an autograph. To combat these possibilities, Harrah built a secret tunnel that ran the length of the property so that guests like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, and Judy Garland could quietly enter.  Just like his casino, Harrah thought of everything down to the last detail. The tunnel has since been...