I was on K-DWN radio yesterday morning promoting my new book, "Las Vegas in Postcards: 1905-1965".

As many of you know, Carey Burke, Allen Sandquist and I spent a long time working on this book last year and our hardwork paid off.  The book looks great.  It is filled with historic postcards that depict the real history of Las Vegas and focus not only on the well-known iconic side of Las Vegas but also the little known residential history of the town.

We owe a big debt of thanks to Dennis McBride, the Curator of History, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas for letting us use some early postcards from their collection.  Mostly, the postcards came from Carey and Allen's extensive collections.  Many are rare and rarely seen postcards.

So, if you want to know about the Roadside Architecture of Las Vegas, the gaming, the neighborhood churches and schools,  real history of the motels (some of which still exist on East Fremont Street) as well as the real history of the buildings and businesses on Fremont Street and the Strip, then be sure t to get a copy of this book.

On Friday evening, May 8th, Carey Burke and I will be doing a book-signing and program (moderated by Dennis McBride) at the Nevada State Museum.  Stay tuned for more details as that date draws closer.

Also, we are preparing a companion video to go with the book.  Both the companion video and autographed copies of the book will be available for sale here in the weeks to come.  So, keep an eye out here for more details!

Of course, if you find you just can't wait, the book is available in most local to Las Vegas Barnes and Noble and Borders bookstores.  You can also buy copies of the book at the Gift Shop in the Nevada State Museum.

Our pal Jeff Burbank is reporting over at the DowntownNews  that the City of Las Vegas has asked that the Moulin Rouge being demolished because it is "a dangerous building."  Seems the city has determined that the building is a threat to public safety and "wants the dilapidated, 53-year-old property demolished, including the former casino facade and adjacent two-story motel.

Meanwhile, the owner of the property, Moulin Rouge Properties, LLC, has filed an appeal to the city’s demolition order."

A hearing scheduled for yesterday on the matter was delayed and the matter will be discussed at the March 4th City Council hearing.

According to the article:

The city’s Neighborhood Services Department, on Dec. 8, sent an official notice and order to the property owner, listing dozens of reasons why the old Moulin Rouge casino building at 840 W. Bonanza Road and the motel at 920 W. Bonanza both qualified as dangerous buildings, including deterioration, the possibility of collapse, serving as a harbor for vagrants and criminals, a severe pest infestation, faulty plumbing and heating and a threat to local property values.

Devon S. Smith, manager of the department’s neighborhood response division, said in the letter that Moulin Rouge had 10 days to file an appeal.

In response, Moulin Rouge chief executive Dale L. Scott wrote on Dec. 12 that the company would appeal the notice and order, because it had already contracted with two firms, Phoenix Contractors and the Westmark Group, to demolish the buildings and remove “all associated materials on the parcel in question.”

“As these building are vacant, and all utilities have been disconnected, Moulin Rouge Properties, LLC and its contractors will not have to face delays in order to begin the demolition process,” Scott stated.

The Moulin Rouge, which opened as Las Vegas first integrated casino in 1955 and closed less than a year but operated of and on as a nightclub and motel.

The main casino building, with its classic script neon (but non-working) marquee sign, suffered a damaging fire in 2003. Since then, the motel part has served as a home for squatters, who have lived inside some of its many open hotel rooms.

For years since the fire, debris has covered the area behind the old casino’s façade, which is propped up by a series steel rods along Bonanza Road.

A year ago, Scott announced plans to develop the site with 700 hotel rooms, a 44,000 square-foot casino, retail stores, four restaurants and a museum. He also said that he would preserve the casino’s famous façade and merge it into the project. However, construction never got started.

No word on what would happen to the beautiful neon-script signage that still adorns the front of the building.  It was designed by Betty Willis.  Hopefully it will go to the Neon Museum instead of being destroyed.  Though the cost of moving the giant sign will likely be in the thousands of dollars and does the Museum have space for the large sign?

Just wanted to give everyone an update on our upcoming book.

It will be available as of March 2nd.

This is a look at the history of Las Vegas through postcards.  Many came from the private collection of my co-authors as well as the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas.  It offers a look at not only the history of Fremont Street and the Strip but of neighborhoods and other important local places of importance such as schools and churches.  Las Vegas has always been much more than just a gaming mecca and this book offers a glimpse into what life was like in 20th Century Las Vegas.

So keep an eye out for it in your local bookstores.

Or you can pre-order it on Amazon here:

http://tinyurl.com/bnntom

Or from Arcadia Publishing here:

http://tinyurl.com/dzxg3z

Or if you would like an autographed copy, we will have the book for sale here on the blog  in a few weeks.

If you live in Las Vegas we will be doing book signings around the Valley so keep an eye out here for more details on that as well.

Here are some photos that I came across when cleaning out my office.  I'll be posting more over the weekend.  Feel free to leave comments about these pieces of Las Vegas history, especially those that aren't there anymore.

The Horseshoe Club in 1999

The Horseshoe Club neon front in 1999

Fallout Shelter sign from the 1950s used to be on a side street in Downtown

RoadsidePictures says this sign was destroyed a few years ago.  It used to be on Third Street.

Used to be on the side entrance to the Horseshoe Club before it became Binion's.

The Green Shack signs before they were torn down.  The Cocktails sign is now in the Neon Museum boneyard.

Mid-Century Home in the Scotch Eighties

Another mid-century modern home in the Scotch Eighties

Motel neon sign that was part of the Algiers

When I was a kid, Life Magazine published a weekly magazine.  They employed some great photographers as well as good writers.

Life Magazine went the way of the dinosaur and the buffalo but its wonderful photo archive has been preserved thanks to a partnership with Google.

Here is what the entrance to the Riviera looked like in 1955 (Gotta love that mid-century modern facade and don't you wish it still looked like that today):

 I have recently done a major cleaning of my office and discovered a box (put away for safe keeping, no doubt) that is filled with slides, postcards, old magazines, etc.

After the first of the year, I will start scanning them and add them to the blog.  I htink you will enoy them.

In the meantime, I will be adding more photos from the Life/Google Photo Archive until the end of the year, so check back for updates.

For more history on the Riviera Hotel check out this link:

http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/a-brief-history-of-the-strip/?currentPage=21