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Though a decade earlier they were almost unheard of, by 1940 they may have numbered in the thousands in Utah alone: houses without a ground floor. These “Hope Houses” had three to six cozy rooms underground with a roof where the main floor ought to be. Projecting above the roof in the rear was a covered stairway leading down from a small vestibule where the owner could remove his boots. They were a rare sight within city limits, where rental space was available and where ordinances might be prohibitive. But for rural land owners unwilling (or unable) to go into debt for a traditional house, they were a practical solution. All were built with plans for a ground floor when times were less tight. Many Hope Houses were eventually finished. Many were demolished without ever meeting their full potential. Every now and then you’ll run across an underground house that’s still waiting for its main floor, nearly eight decades later.