Category: On This Date

On This Date: December 26, 1946 The Flamingo Opened on the Las Vegas Strip

December 26, 2018
The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas

The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas open on December 26, 1946

On this date, December 26, 1946 the Flamingo opened on the Las Vegas Strip, which was called highway 91 back then. Mobster Bugsy Siegel and his “partners” opened  the Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a total cost of $6 million on December 26, 1946. Billed as “The West’s Greatest Resort Hotel,” the 105-room property and first “luxury hotel” on the Strip and the third resort to open on the Strip after the El Rancho Las Vegas and the Last Frontier.

Currently the Flamingo property offers a 77,000 sq. ft. casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms. The 15-acre site’s architectural theme is reminiscent of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne style of Miami and South Beach, with a garden courtyard housing a wildlife habitat featuring flamingos.  The Flamingo is located on the Las Vegas Blvd or the “Strip”  directly across from the Caesars Palace.  Today, the third resort on the Strip competes successfully with the new megaresorts with a health spa, wedding chapel, shops, rent-a-car, fine restaurants, and popular musicals and celebrity shows. The property is now owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment and is the oldest resort on the Strip still in operation today.

Photo By: Wikipedia.com

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On This Date: December 15, 1952, The Sands Hotel & Casino Opened

December 15, 2018

The Historic hotel was the seventh hotel to open on the famous Las Vegas Strip on December 15, 1952. The Sands Hotel & Casino was was owned by Howard Hughes in the mid 1960′s.

Sands Hotel & Casino

Sands Hotel & Casino A Place in the Sun

The original movie, Ocean’s 11 was filmed at the Sands and during this time movie stars Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford performed at the Copa Room. This is considered the birthplace of the “Rat Pack” and it was called the “Summit at the Sands”.  Another Famous lounge act was that of Louis Prima who performed at the Sands in the ’60s and early ’70s. The hotel was closed on June 30, 1996 and later imploded on November 26, 1996. The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino now resides at the Sands former location.

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On This Date: December 10, 1996, The Hacienda Hotel Closed

December 10, 2018

Hacienda Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip

The Hacienda was a hotel/casino that operated on the Las Vegas Strip from 1956 to 1996. The Hotel was closed on December 10, 1996 and later was imploded on New Year’s Eve in 1999.

The Hacienda, while being designed, was called  the Lady Luck (not to be confused with the downtown’s Lady Luck), but before it was finished it was sold and eventually opened as the Hacienda in 1956. The Hacienda resort initially opened in 1954 without a casino. The hotel owned its own fleet of airliners for its ambitious air travel promotions, it was located directly across from McCarran Air Field.  The Hacienda was also one of the first Strip hotels to market to families and budget travelers. After the implosion, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Hotel was built on the old Hacienda site.

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On This Date: November 25, 1997, the Aladdin Hotel and Casino Closed

November 25, 2018
Aladdin

Aladdin Hotel in 2008

On this date, November 25, 1997, The Aladdin Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip was closed and then imploded on May 4, 1998 to make way for a new $1.2 billion hotel and gaming complex.  Originally, the Aladdin opened on March 31, 1966. Prior to that was the Tally-Ho in 1963 and then then King’s Crown in 1965. The Aladdin re-opened as the New Aladdin on August 18, 2000 after a 24 hour delay due to fire inspections.

The hotel was sold in bankruptcy on June 20, 2003 and remain opened under its new owners, and on April 17, 2007, After the casino was renovated, it was reopened as: “Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino”.  The casino changed hands again, on February 19, 2010, the hotel was sold to Caesars Entertainment and remains open today as Planet Hollywood.

The funny thing is that “Planet Hollywood restaurant” is not located in the Planet Hollywood Hotel, it is located in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

Photo Taken Sept 21, 2008
Photo By: Wikipedia.org

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On This Date: November 18, 2011, MineCon 2011 was held in Las Vegas

November 18, 2018
Minecon2011

Minecraft’s official convention, Minecon 2011 was held in Las Vegas November 18, 2011

On this date, November 18, 2011 the second annual Minecraft convention was held in Las Vegas. MineCon 2011 was held at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada on November 18, 2011, coinciding with the official release of the game Minecraft 1.0.

MineCon featured many exciting events, including the official release of Minecraft, keynote speeches from members of the Minecraft community (including one from Notch), building contests, breakout classes with different Minecraft topics, costume contests, exhibits, meeting worldwide Minecraft personalities and commemorative merchandise.

There were 4,500 attendees at MineCon 2011, aging from newborns to 105 year olds and coming from 24 countries. Events included the Kickoff party, which everybody was invited to, and the Into the Nether party, featuring Deadmau5.

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On this Date September 3, 1954, The Showboat Hotel & Casino Opened on Boulder Highway

September 3, 2018

 

"Showboat Hotel and Casino 1961" by Ferris H. Scott of Santa Ana, CA - Scan of a 1961 postcard,

“Showboat Hotel and Casino 1961” by Ferris H. Scott of Santa Ana, CA – Scan of a 1961 postcard,

The Showboat Hotel & Casino opened on September 3, 1954, the hotel and casino was located at the north end of the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Orginally opened as the showboat (1954–2000). It was the first resort within Las Vegas city limits, it had 100 rooms on two floors.

n 1998, Harrah’s Entertainment bought Showboat, Inc. for $1.15 billion. Harrah’s interests were primarily in the Atlantic City and Chicago markets, however; the Las Vegas property did not fit with the company’s strategy. They sold the Showboat in 2000 for $23.5 million.
Castaways (2000–2004)

Harrah’s refused to sell the Showboat name, not wanting the Las Vegas property to be confused with Showboat Atlantic City, so they renamed it as the Castaways. The hotel consisted of a 19 story tower containing 445 rooms, a 80,000-square-foot casino and an adjacent RV park. Demolition began in July 2005, and the hotel tower was imploded on January 11, 2006.

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