Penn Jillette's unique private residence, known as "The Slammer," find's itself in the company of other Las Vegas celeb homes in an article entitled "Home Sweet Home, Vegas Style."
A more unusual house is that of magician Penn Jillette's (of Penn and Teller). Located west of Las Vegas, the 6,000-square-foot home is called "The Slammer" because Jillette purposely designed it to resemble a maximum-security prison.
Like Newton's castle, it has been featured on more than dozen TV home shows and has won several architectural awards for its innovative design.
In fact, according to the Santa Monica design firm that created the house, the project started in 1994, when Jillette decided to make additions to his fairly normal-looking 1978 chalet-style home with a steep A-frame roof.
The company added a cylindrical tower to serve as a hinge to a 2,500-foot extension. Because the 6-foot, 6-inch Jillette wanted to be able to wander the house late at night without disturbing his guests, the architects created a separate master bedroom suite connected to the main house via a 75-foot catwalk. The house also has a half-dozen secret rooms - Jillette is, after all, a magician - as well as a coroner's outline of his partner, Teller, in a kitchen, along with an apparent line of blood leading there from the shower.