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| Unknown Photographer |
In 1962 the 450-room Tallyho Hotel opened at what is now the northeast corner of "The Strip" and Harmon Avenue. It was the first major hotel to open in Las Vegas without an attached casino; so, it was not surprising that the Tallyho closed due to financial difficulties after only a year in operation.
The property was purchased by Kings Crown Inns of America and renamed Kings Crown Tallyho. A casino and showroom were added to the property to make it profitable, but the Nevada Gaming Control Board, for what they said were financing reasons, would not issue Kings Crown Inns a gaming license. The hotel was then sold to a Las Vegas gaming entity that renamed the property Aladdin Hotel/Casino.
Over the next 30 years most celebrity entertainers performed at the Aladdin Showroom, including the first performance by Iron Maiden in the United States. In 1967 Elvis and Priscilla were the most celebrated couple to be married at the Aladdin.
In 1997 the property was closed and it was announced that "The New Aladdin" would be constructed on the site. When the demolition crew was preparing the historic improvements for implosion, they discovered that the buildings were so poorly constructed that they reduced the amount of explosives from 370 pounds to 232 pounds. The demolition crew said that if there had ever been an earthquake in Las Vegas, the buildings would have fallen down by themselves.
It was announced that the historic buildings would be imploded at 7:27 PM on April 27, 1998. I had planned to watch the implosion on television, but finally decided to go down to "The Strip" and get a close-up view of the demolition. Fortunately, when the buildings were imploded we were located up-wind from the property and did not get covered by all of the dirt and dust that filled the air after the buildings were imploded.
"The New Aladdin" opened in 2000 and contained a large retail area known as "Desert Passage," which was an interesting place to visit even though I have a dislike for retail shopping. I just hated the Arabian sitar music that was pipped throughout the building. After 20 minutes of listening to the music it really got on my nerves. Maybe the music bothered other people also, which may explain why the property did not do well financially.
The Arabian theme used for "The New Aladdin" was not ever well accepted by the market and after the 9-11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, people avoided the property, forcing the owners to declare bankruptcy. The property was then sold in 2003 to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. After the sale, the Arabian themed materials were replaced with Hollywood memorabilia and "Desert Passage" was renamed "Miracle Mile Shops."
As a bit of history, in 1991 the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain was formed with the first restaurant located in New York City. The original investors were Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Demi Moore. Later investors included Whoopi Goldberg, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, Tom Arnold, Wesley Snipes, Danny Glover, Roseanne Barr, and John Hughes.
The New York City restaurant was very popular and profitable, so additional restaurants were opened in other cities. In 1994 Planet Hollywood opened a restaurant in The Forum Shops at Caesars Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, and it immediately became the highest grossing restaurant in the chain. Planet Hollywood continued expanding at a rapid pace and soon found itself with financial problems. After a number of financially troubled years, and two bankruptcies, the business was restructured and become profitable again. The original Planet Hollywood restaurant is still operated at The Forum Shops at Caesars Hotel/Casino.
Paris Hotel/Casino is located just north of Planet Hollywood and is patterned after the city of Paris, France. The main building resembles the Paris Opera House and the Louvre. Located in front of the building are a half-scale 540-foot tall replicas of the Eiffel Tower, a large Montgolfier balloon, a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe, and a replica of La Fountaine des Mers. Originally the Eiffel Tower was to be constructed full-size, but the McCarran Airport Authority objected because they said it would interfere with their air traffic flight path. A unique aspect of the Eiffel Tower is that the back two support legs actually come down through the building's ceiling to the casino floor.
The grand opening of the 2,916-room hotel was on September 1, 1999, and featured French actress Catherine Deneuve who flipped a switch that turned on all of the lights.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Bally's, located at the southeast corner of "The Strip" and Flamingo Avenue, is connected to its sister Property Paris Las Vegas by a promenade. There are 2,612 guest rooms at Bally's.
The Bally's property was originally developed in 1963 as the Three Coins Motel, but in 1967 the property was rebranded as the Bonanza Hotel and Casino. Then in 1973, Kirk Kerkorian developed the property with the 2,084-room MGM Grand Hotel/Casino with a building that was taller than the Empire State Building in New York City. When the building was completed it was the largest hotel in the world at a then-staggering cost of $106 million to build. Singer/Actor Dean Martin helped with opening the property and was the first performer in the new showroom. The property also offered live jai alai for betting, various entertainment options, a large shopping arcade, and numerous restaurants. The MGM Grand set a new standard for size and luxury in Las Vegas and is considered to have made the largest impact on "The Strip" until Steve Wynn's developments in the late 1980s.
In 1982 Jubilee opened at the MGM Grand. The show was produced by Donn Arden at an initial cost of $10 million. Arden was an American choreographer/producer that liked expensive things, which fit in well with the MGM Grand theme. He is credited with developing the Las Vegas Showgirl image - beautiful-scantly-clad female dancers wearing expensive sequin costumes containing up to 2,000 feathers and tall 35 pound headpieces, performing on a stage with elaborate sets. The cast consisted of over 100 members. Arden only used the best in costumes, sets, and talent, which also set a new standard for Las Vegas shows. He credits his success to racketeer Moe Dalitz, who "was a great guy to work for...[because]... he believed in spending money." When Jubilee closed in 2016, it set a record for the longest-running production show in Las Vegas. We were fortunate to get last-night tickets to the show. (It is always fun to attend a last-night show because a number of the legendary Las Vegas performers attend the performance.)
On November 21, 1980, the MGM Grand suffered the worst hotel fire in Las Vegas history, killing 87 guest and employees. The fire made a large impact on hotel safety and resulted in stricter fire safety improvements worldwide.
At the time of the fire, a new tower was under construction on the site, but it was not damaged. After the fire, the tower was completed, the hotel was rebuilt, and the property continued operation under the MGM Grand name until it was sold to Bally's for $594 million in 1986.
The Cromwell Las Vegas (formerly Barbary Coast Hotel/Casino) is 188-room luxury boutique hotel located at the northeast corner of "The Strip" and Flamingo Avenue. It was built in 1979 and had been renovated and sold several times before being purchased by The Cromwell Las Vegas.
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| Panoramic Picture by Kolohe |
The 3,460-room Flamingo Hotel/Casino is located just north of The Cromwell at the northeast corner of "The Strip" and Flamingo Avenue. The property has been expanded numerous times since it was originally built in 1946 and is now the oldest resort/hotel on "The Strip" still in operation.
The original purchaser of the Flamingo site paid $350 ($8.75 per acre) for the property and sold the land in 1944 for $7,500 ($187.50 per acre). Land on "The Strip" now sells for about $10 million an acre.
Billy Wilkerson, owner of The Hollywood Reporter and some popular nightclubs on Sunset Strip in California, purchased the land in 1945 to build a resort south of town away from Fremont Street. Wilkerson wanted to build a resort with luxury rooms, a spa, health club, showroom, golf course, nightclub, and upscale restaurants that was different than the "sawdust joints" on Fremont Street. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to finance the project.
About the same time, Bugsy Siegel came to Las Vegas and purchased the El Cortez Hotel/Casino on Fremont Street. He wanted to purchase additional properties in Las Vegas , but his expansion plans were hampered by unfriendly City officials that were concerned about his criminal background. Therefore, he started looking for a site outside of the City Limits. Learning that Wilkerson was seeking financing assistance for his project, Siegel purchased a two-thirds interest in the project and assumed control of construction. He then convinced other underworld associates such as Meyer Lansky to invest in the project.
Siegel had various cost overruns and construction problems with the project and once told his builder, Del Webb, that he had killed 16 people in his lifetime. Webb was concerned about Siegel's mob connections and his own safety, so when Siegel learned about Webb's concerns he tried to reassure Webb of his safety by saying "Don't worry - we only kill each other." As part of the construction process, Siegel had Webb build a secret escape ladder from the Presidential Suite where he lived down to an underground garage where a chauffeured limo was always waiting.
The Flamingo opened to the public on December 26, 1946, at a final cost of $6 million. When opened, the property was billed as "The West's Greatest Resort Hotel." At that time the property was four miles south of Downtown Fremont Street and the first luxury hotel on what is now known as "The Strip," There are various accounts about how the property received its name, but the most popular explanation is that the resort was named after his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, who was nicknamed "Flamingo" because of her long, skinny legs. Others say that Siegel liked flamingos because he thought they were good omens.
What happened after the Flamingo opened is disputed, but it is believed that Siegel drained resources from mob investors during the construction process. The mob was said to have held a convention in Cuba to decide what they should do about Siegel. Some thought that he should be eliminated immediately and others thought he should be given a chance to demonstrate that the resort could make a profit. After a disastrous grand opening of the Flamingo, the mob was really unhappy about Siegal and on June 20, 1947, Siegel was shot to death in Virginia Hill's Beverly Hills house. The murder remains officially unsolved.
After Siegel's death, the Flamingo became the most popular and most luxurious resort in Las Vegas. It was known for its lavish shows, rooms, and restaurants, and many of the staff wore tuxedos at work. For many years the Flamingo set the high-end standard for Las Vegas and most popular entertainers regularly performed in the showrooms, including individuals from the "Rat Pack" (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop). The last major entertainers at the Flamingo were Donnie and Marie Osmond, who performed their final show in 2019.
The last one of Bugsy Siegel's original Flamingo buildings was demolished in 1993.
BONUS PICTURES OF "THE STRIP" - By Kolohe
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