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The Golden Goose circa 1999
On this date, June 4 1975, the Golden Goose opened at 20 Fremont Street, downtown Las Vegas. Although the Golden Goose was mostly a slot house for most of its 5 years of operation. They later closed in 1980.
Update 5/4/2018, The Golden Goose sign was removed, and the buildings Demolished 2017
Photo by: LasVegas360.com
June 3, 1964 first graduating class from Nevada Southern (UNLV)
On this date: June 3, 1964, Nevada Southern, later named University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), holds first commencement ceremony as 29 students graduate in the “Centennial Class” as Nevada turned 100 years old.
Gov. Grant Sawyer, addressed the first graduating class at Nevada Southern at ceremonies on the Maryland Parkway campus, which saw 29 graduates receive their diplomas.
Photo: UNLV Special Collections
4 Queens in Downtown Las Vegas
Construction began on the Four Queens Hotel and Casino November 16, 1964. The hotel & casino opened on June 2, 1966 in Downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street. The casino is named after the builder Ben Goffstein’s four daughters, Faith, Hope, Benita, and Michele. It originally contained only 120 rooms and a 20,000 sq. ft. casino.
Today the casino occupies the entire block bordered by Fremont St, Casino Center, Third Street, and Carson Avenue. The hotel has 690 rooms and a expanded casino of 50,000 sq. ft. The Four Queens was also a partner in renovating the downtown area and creating the Fremont Street experience.
The Four Queens is currently by TLC Casino Enterprises, Inc.
Photo by: LasVegas360.com
Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility – 1971
On June 2, 1971, the Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility (AMSWTF) opened, capable of treating and distributing up to 400 million gallons of potable water a day to the Las Vegas Valley. Until 1970, Southern Nevada had drawn all of its drinking water from ground wells tapped in the Old Las Vegas Springs. AMSWTF is located next to Lake Mead Near Saddle Island. When the springs dried-up, unable to keep pace with the region’s growth, the Las Vegas Valley Water District decided to draw water from Lake Mead. Today, improvements over the years to the facility has enhanced the plant’s reliability and increased capacity to be able to treat 600 million gallons a day.
Moulin Rouge Neon Sign in West Las Vegas
The Moulin Rouge Hotel opened on May 24, 1955, built at a cost of $3.5 million. It was the first integrated hotel casino in the United States. Until that time almost all of the casinos on the Strip were totally segregated—off limits to blacks unless they were the entertainment or labor force.
The hotel was located in West Las Vegas, where the black population was forced to live. West Las Vegas was bounded by Washington Avenue on the north, Bonanza Road on the south, H Street on the west, and A Street on the east. The establishment was a model of eye-catching, 110 rooms, a gorgeous showroom, swimming pool, restaurant/coffee shop, dress-shop, and bar which was constructed of highly polished and expensive hardwoods. When it opened, the Moulin Rouge was fully integrated top to bottom, from employees to patrons to entertainers.
The hotel made the June 20, 1955, cover of Life magazine, with a photo of two showgirls. A veritable “A” list of performers regularly showed to party until dawn. Great black singers and musicians such as Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey, and Count Basie would perform often. These artists were banned from gambling or staying at the hotels on the Strip.[1] In addition, white performers, including George Burns, Jeanette MacDonald, Tallulah Bankhead, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Frankie Laine, Maurice Chevalier, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jack Benny, Sophie Tucker and Frank Sinatra, would drop in after their shows to gamble and perform. Eventually management added a 2:30am “Third Show” to accommodate the crowds.
In November 1955 the Moulin Rouge closed its doors, and by December 1955, the casino had declared bankruptcy. Nevertheless, to maintain its gaming license, the Moulin Rouge (like many closed properties) operates on a temporary basis for a state-mandated minimum of eight hours every two years, most recently on June 19, 2012.
On May 29, 2003, a fire ripped through the buildings, almost entirely gutting the complex.
After 2003 fire, what was left of abandoned hotel, burned down on May 6, 2009.
Photo by: Wikipedia
