Category: Vegas

On This Date: May 6, 1950 Benny Binion opened the Westerner Saloon in Downtown Las Vegas

May 6, 2017
Photograph of the Westerner Gambling House (Las Vegas), circa 1950s

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

Photo by: UNLV Digital Collections

Vegas Info
Posted by: Vegas Info      catagory Archive, Downtown, On This Date, Vegas comments Leave a comment

On This Date: May 5, 1931, The Pair-O-Dice Nite Club was issued a Gaming License.

May 5, 2017
Pair-O-Dice Nite Club Las Vegas

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.

Photo by: UNLV Digital Collection

Vegas Info
Posted by: Vegas Info      catagory Archive, On This Date, The Strip, Vegas comments Leave a comment

On This Date: May 4, 2015 The Riviera Closes its doors

May 4, 2017
The Riviera Closes after 60 years

The Riviera Closes after 60 years

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.  The Riviera 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.

-- caption

Wall sized photo in the entrance of the hotel

IMG_3334

Front of the Riviera side from the Las Vegas Strip

 

noifsandButts

“No Ifs and or butts

riv_front

Valet entrance from Las Vegas Blvd.

Riv-entrance

The Entrance of the Riviera from the Strip

Riv-Pool

The Pool at the Riviera

 

Riveria-Pano

South side of the Riviera stretching from Las Vegas Blvd. to Paradise Rd.

sic-Vegas

The Riviera having its 60th Anniversary

Side-shot-of-Riv-sm

Looking at the north end of the hotel from the Las Vegas Strip heading south

Photos by: LasVegas360.com
Date Taken: May 2, 2015

Vegas Info
Posted by: Vegas Info      catagory Entertainment, On This Date, The Strip, Vegas comments Leave a comment

On this Day May 3, 1999 The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino Opened on the Las Vegas Strip

May 3, 2017
Venetian-Las-Vegas

Venetian Las-Vegas opened on May 3, 1999

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and resort located on the Las Vegas Strip.on the site of the hotel is 36 stories high and rises 475 feet and was built on the on Sands Hotel made famous by the Rat Pack. The hotel opened on May 3, 1999. The design of the hotel uses Venice, Italy, as its design inspiration and features architectural replicas of various Venetian landmarks, including the Palazzo Ducale, Piazza San Marco, Piazzetta di San Marco, the Lion of Venice Column and the Column of Saint Theodore, St Mark’s Campanile, and the Rialto Bridge. At the opening, it was one of the most expensive hotels constructed at a cost of over 1.5 billion dollars.

The Venetian resort complex with Sands Expo Convention Center and The Palazzo Hotel and Casino Resort is the world’s second-largest hotel, with 4,049 rooms, 3,068 suites with a 120,000-square-footcasino.

Photo: Creative Commons – Ricky Barnard

Vegas Info
Posted by: Vegas Info      catagory On This Date, The Strip, Vegas comments 1 Comment

On This Date: April 30, 1996, The Stratosphere Las Vegas Opens

April 30, 2017
Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas

Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas at 1,149 feet tall.

Stratosphere Las Vegas is a tower, hotel, and casino located on Las Vegas Boulevard just north of the Las Vegas Strip. Its tower is also the tallest observation tower, and the 9th-tallest freestanding structure in the United States, as well as being the tallest structure in Las Vegas.

The Stratosphere was conceived by Bob Stupak as an addition to his Vegas World casino. At the conception of the project, one of the planned rides was to be a giant ape that would carry riders up and down on one of the tower’s columns. The original plans envisioned the Stratosphere exceeding the height of the CNN Tower at 1,815 ft., making it the world’s tallest freestanding structure at that time. However, due to possible interference with nearby McCarran International Airport, and any possible flights that come through Las Vegas, the Tower’s proposed height shrank multiple times, bringing it to its current height of 1,149 ft. On August 29, 1993, the Tower caught fire while still under construction. No one was injured, but the fire forced repairs and rebuilding that led to numerous delays in the construction of the Tower.

For the latest information on The Stratosphere including rides, restaurants and bookings, you can check out The Stratosphere at World Casino Directory.

Photo By:  Timjarrett at en.wikipedia
Date Taken: November 2003

Webmaster
Posted by: Webmaster      catagory On This Date, The Strip comments 1 Comment

On This Date, April 28, 2005, the Wynn Opened in Las Vegas

April 28, 2017
Wynn Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas

Wynn Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas

On this date, April 28, 2005, the Wynn opened its doors in Las Vegas. Wynn Las Vegas, often referred to as simply the Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. The $2.7 billion resort is named after casino developer Steve Wynn and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. The resort covers 215 acres and is located at the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue, directly across The Strip from the Fashion Show Mall.

The 614-foot high hotel has 45 floors, with the 2,716 rooms range in size from 640 sq ft. to the villas at 7,000 sq ft. The complex also includes a 111,000 sq ft. casino, a convention center with 223,000 sq ft. of space, and 76,000 sq ft. of retail space. Together with the adjacent Encore, the entire Wynn resort complex has a total of 4,750 rooms.

The resort has earned AAA five diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star, Michelin five star, and Zagat Survey Top U.S. Hotel ratings, as well as one Michelin star for restaurant Wing Lei. The Wynn and is considered to be one of the finest hotels in the world. Wynn Las Vegas and its sister property Encore Las Vegas collectively hold more Forbes five-star awards than any other resort and casino in the world.

Vegas Info
Posted by: Vegas Info      catagory On This Date, The Strip, Vegas comments 1 Comment