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IPFS News Link • Self-Defense

Still Secret and Secure, Safe Rooms Now Hide in Plain Sight

• http://www.nytimes.com, By MATT A.V. CHABAN

The $20,000-a-month rental had many grand spaces for entertaining, including Mr. Kerrey's favorite, a rooftop terrace. Yet, its most unexpected amenity was quite private and secretive: a safe room.

"It looked like any old walk-in closet," Mr. Kerrey said of the 8-feet-by-12-feet bulletproof space inside the third-floor master bedroom (a space the former Navy SEAL said he had little use for). "There was nothing about it that gave it away as anything but a place to hang your clothes."

That is the point. For centuries, the best way for the wealthy to feel protected, or at least give the impression, was from behind a moat, a gate or an army. Such options are impractical in Manhattan, even for those who can afford them, yet a number of these property owners are finding ways to feel safe even in the event of a home invasion. When an alarm or a doorman is not enough, advances in designs and materials have made it possible to enjoy the safety of Fort Knox amid the comfort of a Four Seasons suite.


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