Category: Vegas

On This Date : March 20, 1931 The first gaming license issued in Las Vegas

March 20, 2019
The Northern Club on Fremont St. was the first establishment to be issued a gaming license in Clark County

The Northern Club on Fremont St. was the first establishment to be issued a gaming license in Clark County in 1931.

After the legalization of gaming in Nevada, the Northern Club received received the first gaming license in Las Vegas on March 20, 1931.  The Northern Club was located in downtown Las Vegas on 15 East Fremont Street. The license was issued by Clark County and was the first gaming license issued to a woman, Mayme Stocker.

Originally opened in the 1900’s as the Las Vegas Coffee House, Mayme Stocker renamed it the Northern Club in 1920 offering liquor and gaming while both were illegal.

The Northern Club casino was renamed in 1945 as the Monte Carlo Club by Wilbur Clark. In The Late 1970’s it was again renamed to the Coin Castle which later became the La Bayou Casino and is still in operation today.

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On this Date: March 17, 1989, Famous Las Vegas Artist Montyne passed away

March 17, 2019
Montyne

Montyne Sculpture in Front of Circus in 1999

Born Sherman LaMont Sudbury, known as Montyne (November 23, 1916 – March 17, 1989) was an American artist and stage performer. He was best known for his sculptures that once stood in front of Circus Circus Las Vegas and for his View-Master scenes of Tarzan of the Apes.

Montyne moved to Las Vegas in 1968 to sculpt the statues in front of Circus Circus. The first, The Balancer, was a self-portrait, depicting him as an acrobat. This heroic-size statue in 1978 was featured on the front cover of 35mm Photography. The work at one time was one of the most-photographed sculptures in the world. Over the next three years, he created four more statues: the Lion, the Clown, Gargantua the gorilla, and his wife China who was featured balancing on a rolo-board. In the photo above you can see the clown and the lion on the sidewalk in from of Circus Circus on Las Vegas Blvd. (The Strip).

While working on the statues at Circus Circus, Montyne also was commissioned to create the wall murals in the convention hall at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on Flamingo Road (1973). The casino was longer than a football field, and on the 15 ceiling arches were Montyne’s murals. The murals were destroyed in the 1980 MGM Grand fire.

Montyne passed away at the age of 72 and is buried in Las Vegas.

Clown Circus Circus

The last standing Montyne sculpture in front on Circus Circus – 2015

Photo by: LasVegas360.com

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On This Date March 10, 2011, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Opened

March 10, 2019
Smith Center bell tower

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts opened on March 10, 2011

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is a public/private partnership that is the centerpiece of cultural life in Las Vegas offering a blend of performances by resident companies as well as first-run touring attractions. The 4.75-acre cultural complex features inviting lobbies with beautiful balconies, refined acoustics and a tastefully landscaped plaza in downtown’s 61-acre urban development, Symphony Park. Home to the 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall and the Boman Pavilion, The Smith Center is a living room for Las Vegas; a place that educates, entertain and excite the citizens of our great community. The Smith Center broke ground in May of 2009 with a ceremonial carillon bell casting and ringing. In February 2010, it celebrated its “Topping Out” with the raising of 50 tons of steel and open on February 10, 2011.

Symphony Park

Symphony Park

Next door the the Smith Center is the new home for the children’s museum, a state-of-the-art building to be named the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center.

Next to the Smith Center, is a small park called, Symphony Park, it is a two-acre open space within the heart of Symphony Park a is used for special cultural events.

Construction Photos

Photo gallery prior to opening

The Smith Center for the Performing Art- Panoramas

Interior Photos of the Smith Center for Performing Arts

Photos by: LasVegas360.com

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On This Date March 3, 1998 Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Opened in Las Vegas

March 3, 2019
Krispy Kreme's first store to open on the west coast.

Krispy Kreme’s first store to open on the west coast. (7015 West Spring Mountian Rd.)

In 1992, New York City Investment Banker Lincoln Spoor took his first taste of a Krispy Kreme doughnut and it was love at first bite. At that precise moment Lincoln knew what his mission in life would be. He would be the guy to introduce Krispy Kreme doughnuts to Las Vegas and the West coast.

It took six years and a lot of begging and pleading but finally on March 3, 1998, the first Krispy Kreme doughnut store open in Las Vegas at 7015 W. Spring Mountain Rd., the store is the largest in the company’s chain. Practically overnight, Krispy Kreme became an instant hit with lines wrapping around the first flagship store for weeks.

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On This Date: February 15, 2008 the Monte Carlo Reopens After Fire

February 15, 2019
Monte Carlo Resort

Monte Carlo Resort and Casino fire broke out on January 25, 2008

On January 25, 2008, at 10:57 AM, a fire broke out on the exterior of the top six floors of the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. The fire was on the exterior of the building burning the foam facade. The ignition of the facade wall was attributed to welding on a catwalk on the roof. The hotel and casino were evacuated with no major injuries or deaths during the fire, which lasted a little more than an hour. The hotel remained closed for 21 days and The hotel & casino reopened to guests on February 15, 2008. MGM Mirage officials put the total losses due to fire damage and loss of business at just under $100 million.

Photo by: wikipedia.org

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On this Date: February 14, 2012, The Mob Museum Opened in Downtown Las Vegas

February 14, 2019
mob museum

The Mob Museum right before is grand opening in 2012

On February 14, 2012, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, or “Mob “Museum located in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada opened. The opening date of February 14th, coincides with the historical deadly Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929. It was the murder of seven mob associates as part of a Prohibition-era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago: the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran.Former members of the Egan’s Rats gang were also suspected of having played a significant role in the incident, assisting Capone.

The Museum is housed in the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, built in 1933 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is on Stewart Avenue, two blocks north of Fremont Street, the main artery of the downtown casino district. The Mob Museum is dedicated to the thrilling story of organized crime and law enforcement. It presents an exciting and authentic view of the mob’s impact on Las Vegas history and its unique imprint on the world.

The museum is located at the end of 3rd street at 300 Stewart Avenue near the newly opened “Mob Bar”,  just north of the Fremont Street Experience.  The expected opening is  in February of 2012.

Photo By: LasVegas360.com
Date Taken: December 30, 2011

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