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Oldest building on Las Vegas Blvd?
I noticed today that according to county records the Diamond Inn Motel (the
one with the pink elephant out front next to Mandalay Bay) was built in
1940. That is incredibly old for Las Vegas especially for that part of town.
I have to imagine that is the oldest structure on LVB, it even pre dates the
1st strip resort El Rancho Vegas (which burned down almost 50 years ago) by
2 years. Maybe Bugsy and Virginia Hill stayed a few nights there when
finishing up the Flamingo. So I guess there is still some history yet to be
attacked by a wrecking ball on the strip.
pink elephant: * w w w .flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207712/
when it was the "Desert Isle Motel":
* w w w .flickr . com /photos/roadsidepictures/616778804/
one with the pink elephant out front next to Mandalay Bay) was built in
1940. That is incredibly old for Las Vegas especially for that part of town.
I have to imagine that is the oldest structure on LVB, it even pre dates the
1st strip resort El Rancho Vegas (which burned down almost 50 years ago) by
2 years. Maybe Bugsy and Virginia Hill stayed a few nights there when
finishing up the Flamingo. So I guess there is still some history yet to be
attacked by a wrecking ball on the strip.
pink elephant: * w w w .flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207712/
when it was the "Desert Isle Motel":
* w w w .flickr . com /photos/roadsidepictures/616778804/
"Donkeydode" <noemail@bye . com > wrote in message
news:DDXfk.27$JK7.3@newsfe02.iad...
> I noticed today that according to county records the Diamond Inn Motel
(the
> one with the pink elephant out front next to Mandalay Bay) was built in
> 1940. That is incredibly old for Las Vegas especially for that part of
town.
> I have to imagine that is the oldest structure on LVB, it even pre dates
the
> 1st strip resort El Rancho Vegas (which burned down almost 50 years ago)
by
> 2 years. Maybe Bugsy and Virginia Hill stayed a few nights there when
> finishing up the Flamingo. So I guess there is still some history yet to
be
> attacked by a wrecking ball on the strip.
>
> pink elephant: * w w w .flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207712/
> when it was the "Desert Isle Motel":
> * w w w .flickr . com /photos/roadsidepictures/616778804/
>
>
nice blog post re: Diamond Inn
* royvegas.blogspot . com /2007/09/las-vegas-diamond-inn-motel.html
On Jul 18, 12:29 am, "Donkeydode" <noem...@bye . com > wrote:
> I noticed today that according to county records the Diamond Inn Motel (t=
he
> one with the pink elephant out front next to Mandalay Bay) was built in
> 1940. That is incredibly old for Las Vegas especially for that part of to=
wn.
> I have to imagine that is the oldest structure on LVB, it even pre dates =
the
> 1st strip resort El Rancho Vegas (which burned down almost 50 years ago) =
by
> 2 years. Maybe Bugsy and Virginia Hill stayed a few nights there when
> finishing up the Flamingo. So I guess there is still some history yet to =
be
> attacked by a wrecking ball on the strip.
>
> pink elephant: * w w w .flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207712/
> when it was the "Desert Isle Motel": * w w w .flickr . com /photos/roadside=
pictures/616778804/
Wow, that is anciet for Vegas. There were a lot of motels on the
south Strip in the past. Most of them have the Mandalay Bay on it,
have an intersction where they were...... I liked your post!
Don, in Etlanna fer da dey.,
(for the mentally deficient that have nothing better to do than wonder
about others lives and just have to make sure i am in "Lanta".. . it 's
called remote access.)
> I noticed today that according to county records the Diamond Inn Motel (t=
he
> one with the pink elephant out front next to Mandalay Bay) was built in
> 1940. That is incredibly old for Las Vegas especially for that part of to=
wn.
> I have to imagine that is the oldest structure on LVB, it even pre dates =
the
> 1st strip resort El Rancho Vegas (which burned down almost 50 years ago) =
by
> 2 years. Maybe Bugsy and Virginia Hill stayed a few nights there when
> finishing up the Flamingo. So I guess there is still some history yet to =
be
> attacked by a wrecking ball on the strip.
>
> pink elephant: * w w w .flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207712/
> when it was the "Desert Isle Motel": * w w w .flickr . com /photos/roadside=
pictures/616778804/
Wow, that is anciet for Vegas. There were a lot of motels on the
south Strip in the past. Most of them have the Mandalay Bay on it,
have an intersction where they were...... I liked your post!
Don, in Etlanna fer da dey.,
(for the mentally deficient that have nothing better to do than wonder
about others lives and just have to make sure i am in "Lanta".. . it 's
called remote access.)
I did some research on the subject and from what we can figure out is
that the property may have been purchased in 1940 (the same year that
the El Rancho Vegas opened) but the motel was not built until around
1954.
That end of the Strip was just a two-lane blacktop highway, Highway
#91 or as locals called it the LA Highway or the road to LA. It
became the Salt Lake Highway or the Arrowhead Highway, once you passed
Fremont Street.
The first commercial building on the Strip was a nightclub, the Pair-A-
Dice (owned by Frank and Angelina Detra) which was originally a
private affair but due to Angelina Detra's fine cooking it became a
public nightclub within a month of opening. It received its gaming
license on May 5th, 1931.
Frank Detra had been pals with Al Capone at one point in his life and
the Feds kept an eye on the place during Prohibition but the nightclub
was never raided.
The Detras sold out to Guy McAfee who came over from Southern
California and envisioned a Strip similar to the Sunset Strip in Los
Angeles.
He renamed the Pair-A-Dice Club the 91 Club and renovated the
building. He brought in a large orchestra, replaced the gourmet
Italian food with steaks and opened the club in 1939.
Two years later, he sold the property to R. E. Griffith and his nephew
Bill Moore and the building got incorporated into the Hotel Last
Frontier.
The oldest building on the Strip part of Las Vegas Blvd may very well
be an old motel or liquor store.
Once you cross Sahara headed north on Las Vegas Blvd many of those
buildings date back to the 1940s and some, like the old Grammar
School, to the 1930s.
Lynn in Sherman Oaks
Become a Friend of Classic Las Vegas today!
w w w .classiclasvegas.squarespace . com (blog)
w w w .classiclasvegas . com (website)
that the property may have been purchased in 1940 (the same year that
the El Rancho Vegas opened) but the motel was not built until around
1954.
That end of the Strip was just a two-lane blacktop highway, Highway
#91 or as locals called it the LA Highway or the road to LA. It
became the Salt Lake Highway or the Arrowhead Highway, once you passed
Fremont Street.
The first commercial building on the Strip was a nightclub, the Pair-A-
Dice (owned by Frank and Angelina Detra) which was originally a
private affair but due to Angelina Detra's fine cooking it became a
public nightclub within a month of opening. It received its gaming
license on May 5th, 1931.
Frank Detra had been pals with Al Capone at one point in his life and
the Feds kept an eye on the place during Prohibition but the nightclub
was never raided.
The Detras sold out to Guy McAfee who came over from Southern
California and envisioned a Strip similar to the Sunset Strip in Los
Angeles.
He renamed the Pair-A-Dice Club the 91 Club and renovated the
building. He brought in a large orchestra, replaced the gourmet
Italian food with steaks and opened the club in 1939.
Two years later, he sold the property to R. E. Griffith and his nephew
Bill Moore and the building got incorporated into the Hotel Last
Frontier.
The oldest building on the Strip part of Las Vegas Blvd may very well
be an old motel or liquor store.
Once you cross Sahara headed north on Las Vegas Blvd many of those
buildings date back to the 1940s and some, like the old Grammar
School, to the 1930s.
Lynn in Sherman Oaks
Become a Friend of Classic Las Vegas today!
w w w .classiclasvegas.squarespace . com (blog)
w w w .classiclasvegas . com (website)
"lzcutter" <lynn@classiclasvegas . com > wrote in message
news:60dd5970-c3a4-4874-991d-56a64556cfe9@v28g2000pro.googlegroups . com ...
>I did some research on the subject and from what we can figure out is
> that the property may have been purchased in 1940 (the same year that
> the El Rancho Vegas opened) but the motel was not built until around
> 1954.
>
I show El Rancho Vegas opened April 1941
>> The oldest building on the Strip part of Las Vegas Blvd may very well
> be an old motel or liquor store.
>
> Once you cross Sahara headed north on Las Vegas Blvd many of those
> buildings date back to the 1940s and some, like the old Grammar
> School, to the 1930s.
>
> Lynn in Sherman Oaks
>
Thanks for the info Lynn. I will do some research today since now I am
curious what the oldest building on the strip portion of LVB is, I will
extend my definition of this area as all the way to Charleston on the North
and Lake Mead/St Rose on the south. I will assume you are right in the 1954
building date of Diamond Inn until I hear differently from a title officer I
asked to run a property profile (they aren't so busy these days) on the
place as a favor. I'll let you know what I find out. The 1st thing that
springs to mind is the White Sands Motel across the street from Luxor.
So the oldest building that I could find on Las Vegas Blvd between
Charleston and St Rose (if the Diamond Inn Motel was indeed not built in
1940, which according to any info I can find it was) is the Monterey Motel
at 1133 LVB, right next to the drug store on the SE corner of Charleston. It
shows being built in 1944.
* flickr . com /photos/vegasrob/1450332190/sizes/o/
The oldest building I could find on what is actually the strip (south of
Sahara) was a old motel building right across the street from Mandalay Bay.
It has a sign for psychic readings on the window, I believe it is either
vacant or someone lives there. That was built in 1952, and shows no address.
* flickr . com /photos/davidnunn/2439187289/sizes/l/
Also the old visitor center that was next to the Klondike and where you
would park to walk to the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign was built in 1956.
* flickr . com /photos/my_vegas/2339434924/
White Sands Motel was 1959
* flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207660/
Charleston and St Rose (if the Diamond Inn Motel was indeed not built in
1940, which according to any info I can find it was) is the Monterey Motel
at 1133 LVB, right next to the drug store on the SE corner of Charleston. It
shows being built in 1944.
* flickr . com /photos/vegasrob/1450332190/sizes/o/
The oldest building I could find on what is actually the strip (south of
Sahara) was a old motel building right across the street from Mandalay Bay.
It has a sign for psychic readings on the window, I believe it is either
vacant or someone lives there. That was built in 1952, and shows no address.
* flickr . com /photos/davidnunn/2439187289/sizes/l/
Also the old visitor center that was next to the Klondike and where you
would park to walk to the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign was built in 1956.
* flickr . com /photos/my_vegas/2339434924/
White Sands Motel was 1959
* flickr . com /photos/89004900@N00/457207660/
"lzcutter" <lynn@classiclasvegas . com > wrote in message
news:60dd5970-c3a4-4874-991d-56a64556cfe9@v28g2000pro.googlegroups . com ...
>I did some research on the subject and from what we can figure out is
> that the property may have been purchased in 1940 (the same year that
> the El Rancho Vegas opened) but the motel was not built until around
> 1954.
The property profile is pretty clear that something was constructed there
in 1940. Probably not the entire motel, but possibly the area that looks
like a house where the office is located
( * flickr . com /photos/vegasrob/614778781/)? For example if you look up
most properties such as Caesars' Palace it will show as built in 1966
regardless if you are inquiring about the part that was built in 2004 or the
original casino area actually constructed at that time. They just change the
square footage on the records not the year built. So in other words some
part of the Diamond Inn whether it be a shed out back or the whole place was
built originally constructed in 1940 (according to the title rep who is
clearly not doing what he is paid to do while looking into this).
I show El Rancho Vegas opened April 1941>>
Oops, I meant 1941! See me blush!
Lynn in Sherman Oaks
Become a Friend of Classic Las Vegas today!
w w w .classiclasvegas.squarespace . com (blog)
w w w .classiclasvegas . com (website)
