On this date May 14, 2015, B.B. King passed away in Las Vegas. Born, Riley Ben King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), but known by his stage name B.B. King, was an American Hall of Fame blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. also,King had been a long time Las Vegas resident since 1975.
His biggest hit was “The Thrill Is Gone,” which won him the first of 15 Grammy awards. King was also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at more than 200 concerts per year on average into his 70s. His famous guitar was named Lucille which was a Gibson ES-355 “Lucille”. B.B King was 89.
Photo by: Tom Beetz – http://www.flickr.com/photos/9967007@N07/6577873073
The Boardwalk Hotel and Casino was a Coney Island style hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip. It started out as the Holiday Inn on the Strip in 1968 and later became the Boardwalk Casino in 1988. In 1994, after acquiring the Holiday Inn hotel portion of the property, the hotel went public. Steve Wynn acquired the property in 1998, and finally the MGM Mirage in 2000.
The hotel and casino closed on January 9, 2006, and the main hotel tower was imploded on May 9, 2006, at 2:34 A.M. PST in order to prepare make way for CityCenter.
Photograph of the Westerner Gambling House (Las Vegas), circa 1950s
Before the famous Horseshoe, Legendary Texas gambler Benny Binion opened the Westerner Saloon & Gambling House at the location of the former Las Vegas Club, on May 6, 1950. The Westerner Saloon was located next to the Pioneer Club where the famous Vegas Vic neon sign still stands. Minion, then sold the Westerner Saloon in less than a year to buy the Eldorado Club and Apache Hotel where he opened the Horseshoe Club.
The Westerner Saloon & Gambling House had other owners until 1960 when it became Club Bingo.
The Westerner 21-23 Fremont St. Opened 1950 – Closed 1960
Photograph of the exterior front and side of the Pair-O-Dice Club (Las Vegas), 1930s
The Pair O’ Dice Nite Club, sits aside Highway 91 in this 1930s photo. The Pair O’ Dice was the first nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip. Its main attraction was gambling before gambling was even legal in Nevada.
On May 5, 1931, the county issued the Pair-O-Dice’s manager, Oscar E. Klawitter, a license to run a roulette table, a craps table, and a blackjack table. Weeks later, the club was opened to the public. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the county permitted the club to serve beer.
The property was bought and turned into the 91 Club in 1939, which itself was rebuilt as the Last Frontier in 1942.
On this day May 4, 1988, an explosion at the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) perchlorate plant in Henderson, Nevada killed 2 people and injured 372. A large portion of the Las Vegas Valley within a 10 mile radius of the plant was affected, and caused an estimated damage of $100 million to the surrounding area.
A total of seven explosions occurred involving various containers of ammonium perchlorate, with the two largest occurring in the drums, followed by the aluminum containers. These two explosions were measured at 3.0 and 3.5 on the Richter scale by the National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado, some 600 miles away. Over eight million pounds of perchlorate were consumed in the fire and explosions. A crater estimated at 15 feet deep and over 200 feet wide was left in the storage area.
The nearby Kidd & Co. marshmallow plant was nearly destroyed and numerous homes, schools, and businesses suffered varying degrees of damage. Property damage to buildings other than the plant was estimated to be $74 million. Windows shattered as far as the Boulevard Mall and UNLV.
Clark County Fire Department Fire Investigators determined that sparks from a welder’s torch ignited the ammonium perchlorate. Poor housekeeping contributed to the fire and the resulting explosions.
The first explosion was the smallest and provided a warning to company employees to evacuate the complex. Two more detonations obliterated the property, but by then, all but two management members of the company had escaped.
After the explosion, the plant was renamed Western Electrochemical Co. and relocated to southern Utah. It operates now in Iron County, approximately 14 miles northwest of Cedar
City, Utah.
After barely 60 years on the Las Vegas Strip the classic Riviera Hotel and Casino will close forever today on May 4, 2015. The hotel opened on April 20, 1955. It was the first high-rise of 9 stories to open on the Las Vegas Strip. TheRiviera opened its doors on April 20th, 1955. Liberace and his brother, George were the headliners and actress Joan Crawford was the official hostess.
The hotel had over 2,100 rooms and 110,000 sq. ft. casinoof gaming space.
In February of 2015, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority acquired the Riviera hotel and its land for $182.5 million. The hotel will be demolished to make way for a planned expansion of LVCVA’s Las Vegas Global Business District exhibit and meeting center project.
Wall sized photo in the entrance of the hotel
Front of the Riviera side from the Las Vegas Strip
“No Ifs and or butts
Valet entrance from Las Vegas Blvd.
The Entrance of the Riviera from the Strip
The Pool at the Riviera
South side of the Riviera stretching from Las Vegas Blvd. to Paradise Rd.
The Riviera having its 60th Anniversary
Looking at the north end of the hotel from the Las Vegas Strip heading south
Photos by: LasVegas360.com
Date Taken: May 2, 2015
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