As the summer begins to wind down and the fall television season (and the premiere of Vegas) looms on the horizon, we thought it would be nice to look back at 1960s Las Vegas. This is the Las Vegas that Sheriff Ralph Lamb presided over and kept safe.
The Boulevard Mall opened which changed the way Las Vegans shopped. No longer did we have to go downtown for our shopping needs. Developed by Irwin Molasky (who also developed the neighborhood around the mall including the mid-century modern residential area known as Paradise Palms.) with partners that included Moe Dalitz.
Our beloved "flying saucer" Convention Center. At night, the rim of the Convention Center glowed neon green. With the empty Landmark Hotel (in all it's Space Needle glory) located across the street, this corner of Paradise Road and Desert Inn was filled with space age enthusiasm. Anything was possible in those days. The Convention Center hosted boxing (Cassius Clay, Floyd Patterson, etc), the Beatles, Martin Luther King, holiday events and numerous high school graduations.
Our Cinerama Theater, located just south of the Convention Center. It was one of the popular movie theaters located outside of downtown (along with the Huntridge and the Fox at the Charleston Plaza Mall). I saw Gone With the Wind there during its reissue run in 1967.
Aerial shot of the Alarmco building near Las Vegas Blvd South and St. Louis. The building was owned by Desert Inn one-time owner, Wilbur Clark.
Caesars Palace which opened in August, 1966. Built by Jay Sarno, Caesars was a direct departure from other hotels on the famed Las Vegas Strip.
Fremont Street in the early 1960s.
Denny's Restaurant. There were various locations - including on the famed Strip (one still stands) and this one just north of Fremont Street.
Here's a promo for the new show, Vegas, starring Dennis Quaid as Sheriff Ralph Lamb and Michael Chiklis as gangster Vincent Savino. (Here's hoping that is just a highway sign for the Stardust and they don't have the Stardust and the Sahara on the same side of the street, next to one another.)