If all Walter Zick and partner Harris Sharpe ever designed was the Mint Hotel and it's beautiful neon sign that would be enough.

But Walter Zick designed much more than just the most beloved, lost neon sign of Las Vegas.  He designed a variety of commercial buildings, mainly banks, schools and residential homes.

A lot of his architecture is still standing which is really amazing considering the reputation Las Vegas has with preserving history.

As noted here earlier this year, we became much more aware of Walter Zick's architectural contribution to the Las Vegas Valley when we got a disc from Jack LeVine over at VeryVintageVegas that had been put together by Zick's daughters in hopes of having a school in the Valley named after their father.

While the School District turned down the daughters, we came up with an idea and working with the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas and Nevada Humanities, we received a grant to do a program centered around Walter Zick and his mid-century architecture.

On October 3rd we will have a panel discussion at the State Museum on the work of Walter Zick.  Confirmed panelists include our favorite mid-century author and historian, Alan Hess, Assemblage Studios' architect, Eric Strain, Karen Zick Goff and her sister, Claire and neon designer, Brian "Buzz" Leming.

Following the discussion, there will be an afternoon bus tour of some of Zick's still-standing architecture.  The final stop on the tour will be the Morelli House.  Though Zick did not design the Morelli House, it's mid-century architecture makes it a perfect place to have a small reception before returning to the State Museum.

We are currently working out the bus route, which we hope will include a few stops so that we can see the interiors of some of the buildings.  Once we have all the details worked out, we will post them here.

Seating for the bus tour is limited and reservations will be necessary.  Once we have the reservation number working, we will post that as well.

So, subscribe to this blog because you are not going to want to miss this.  If you ever wondered what happened to mid-century modern Las Vegas or how it came to be, this is the program for you.  If, like me, you've always appreciated how modern our Valley truly was, you won't want to miss this program.

It's going to be historic, fact-filled and lots of fun.

So, stay tuned.

This program made possible by Nevada Humanities and the Nevada State Museum and the generous donations of VeryVintageVegas, the Friends of Classic Las Vegas, Brian "Paco" Alvarez and the Junior League of Las Vegas.

Every August, my favorite network,  Turner Classic Movies, celebrates Summer Under the Stars.  Each day in August is devoted to a different star.  24 hours of films.  Sunday, August 16th they turn the spotlight on Elvis Presley.

For Classic Las Vegas lovers that means only one thing:  VIVA LAS VEGAS!  Elvis and Ann-Margaret meet cute and fall in love all under the bright neon lights of Las Vegas in 1964.  If you aren't going to be awake at 3:00 am, then set your TIVO to record it.  You won't be disappointed.

Much of the film was shot on location and there are terrific shots of places like the original Convention Center that aren't there any more.  Also, some great footage of the Riviera and other hotels and their pools.  It helps that Ann-Margaret plays Rusty, a swim instructor.  Look for Nicky Blair in a supporting role.  His restaurant used to be on Paradise near the Convention Center.

Best of all, there is footage of the Mint Hotel with it's beautiful neon wave.  Which we'll be talking about more tomorrow!

In the meantime, do yourself a favor, watch or TIVO "Viva Las Vegas", you won't be disappointed.

Here is a link to the rest of the Summer Under the Stars schedule.  If you haven't checked it out, please do so:

http://www.tcm.com/2009/summer/_pdf/summerunderthestars09.pdf

Tomorrow:  Big news on our upcoming Mid-Century Modern Tour!

And this surprises anyone?

From the R-J:

A group of earnings reports from smaller gaming companies had a common theme today: Revenues continue to fall while the companies talk to creditors about restructuring debt.

Planet Hollywood Resort expressed concern today that it may not be able to generate enough cash flow to fund financial commitments that include monthly payments on a $860 million loan.

A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said: “Absent a capital contribution” from the property’s owners, or “an equity investment by third parties or a restructuring” of the debt, the owners “do not believe that cash generated from operations, cash held in reserve by the lenders under the loan agreement ... will be adequate to meet the anticipated working capital and debt service obligations” of Planet Hollywood Resort through Dec. 31.

The filing warned that the property could default if the Strip property’s ownership fails to modify its loan agreement or secure additional capital investment.

Sharp decreases in revenue and debt load payments drove the property’s net loss of $13.6 million in the second quarter ended June 30, a small improvement from the $14.3 million loss posted a year earlier.

Quarterly revenue fell 16.1 percent to $60.6 million from $72.2 million. Cash flow, defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, fell 47.8 percent in the quarter to $5.8 million from $11.1 million.

Casino revenues slipped 8.5 percent in the quarter and revenues for the 2,496-room hotel fell 24.8 percent. Average daily room rates dropped to $96 from $136. Occupancy fell to 91.6 percent from 97 percent last year.

Hooters posts loss

Hooters Hotel posted a second-quarter net loss of $5 million as the property continues to work with its lenders on a possible financial restructuring.

The loss reverses a $2.3 million profit posted a year earlier. The property is in default on $144.5 million in debt, but is talking with lenders led by Wells Fargo Foothill about restructuring or selling the property. The property’s ownership said March 31 that it was not going to make interest payments on its debt.

Quarterly revenue fell 28.7 percent to $11.7 million in the quarter. Cash flow fell 95.4 percent to $86,000 in the quarter. Casino revenues fell 37.2 percent in the quarter and hotel revenues fell 32.8 percent, which includes the spa and retail. Occupancy for the 696 rooms was 84.6 percent, down from 97.6 percent last year.

Black Gaming trims loss

Nearly 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15, Black Gaming trimmed its second-quarter loss through cost-saving measures that included a continued pullback of operations at the company’s Oasis property.

The Mesquite-based company, which also operates the CasaBlanca and the Virgin River, is in default on $205.8 million in debt, but continues to discuss restructuring with representatives of its debtholders and Wells Fargo Foothill.

Black Gaming posted a net loss of $4.8 million in the quarter, a 76 percent swing from the $20.3 million loss posted for the same time last year.

Quarterly revenues fell 24.2 percent to $27.3 million. Quarterly cash flow improved to $4.6 million from a negative cash flow of $8.6 million in 2008.

The Oasis now operates with 16 slot machines; the property’s 900-room hotel, recreational park and convention facilities are still available on an overflow basis. The Oasis’ Palms Golf Course, gun club and time shares remain open.

Vote coming on Herbst plan

While many casino operators’ financial futures remain uncertain, Herbst Gaming is preparing to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, maybe as early as this year.

Ballots were issued Wednesday to creditors to approve or disapprove the reorganization plan. The ballots are due Sept. 15 and a confirmation hearing is scheduled to run Oct. 28-29 in Reno.

Under the plan, some creditors will receive 100 percent of the equity of the reorganized Herbst Gaming in addition to a $350 million new senior secured bank loan issued by the new company. The loan and equity will replace the current outstanding debt balance of $875.9 million.

Herbst Gaming posted second-quarter net income of $4.5 million, but a loss of $28.4 million in the first six months. Second-quarter revenues fell 15.6 percent to $172.7 million. Casino operation revenue fell 3.6 percent in the quarter . Slot-route operations fell 18.3 percent and 17.5 percent respectively.

It's been one of the big hits of the summer, Fremont Street Experience's Salute to 1969, Summer of Love.   With tribute bands and rock and roll bands from back in the day performing on the weekends, crowds under the canopy have been plentiful, sometimes elbow to elbow.

With the Woodstock anniversary approaching and Ang Lee's new movie, "Taking Woodstock" about to open, the FSE gets on the band wagon with a salute to Woodstock all its' own.

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, the Fremont Street Experience is hosting its own three days of music and peace Friday through Sunday.

"Woodstock TributePalooza" will feature a variety of musical acts representing some of the more iconic performers that graced the stage during the concert that became a touchstone for a generation.

"I don't think anyone can doubt the importance of that event," says Jeff Victor, president of the Experience. "There were half a million people in that field for three days, and for that many artists to come together, I'm not sure it could happen today."

Victor, 45, knew Woodstock was a major event for its time, but when he started researching in preparation for the tribute, it took on a whole new level of significance for him. That year, 1969, was a volatile year in American history and it shares some parallels to the present-day climate, he says, including a bad economy, a deep concern over the environment and a very unpopular war.

"You had the lofty achievements of putting a man on the moon four weeks before this giant concert on the ground happened," Victor says. "At the same time, there were Manson murders. We had a new president who vowed to get us out of Vietnam. It was a very iconic year that had all these amazing ups and downs. Woodstock was one of those amazing things."

Some of the Woodstock performers -- Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, The Grateful Dead -- became the faces of that era.

Victor's idea for the tribute was to find artists who could perform the more well-known music from Woodstock. Among the performers will be Dead Ahead, a band that performs the music of the Grateful Dead; Randy Linder, performing Credence Clearwater Revival; Byron Bordeaux playing Jimi Hendrix music; Alan Kaye doing Joe Cocker's music; The Wholigans performing music from The Who and Cara Lee, who will pay tribute to Janis Joplin.

A movie, "From Havens to Hendrix," will play on the lighted canopy. Music and performances are scheduled to start every day of the tribute at 6:30 p.m., with acts planned through midnight. For a full schedule of events, visit vegasexperience.com or call 678-5777.

It doesn't look like it now, though the bones are all still there if you look close enough, but when I was a kid growing up in Las Vegas, McCarran Airport was a mid-century modern oasis.

The new terminal was designed by Los Angeles architect, Welton Beckett and it fit right in with the space age theme that was prevalant back then.  From the Landmark tower to the Convention Center, the new terminal would be right at home.

The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas has a wonderful collection of photographs and negatives from one of the busiest and best photographers of that era, Jay Florian Mitchell.  Mitchell came to Las Vegas in the early 1950s and began photographing the town.  You can chart the transformation of Las Vegas from a town into a growing city by looking at the photos and negatives that are in this collection.  Mitchell's work spans the mid-1950s to the late 1970s and includes aerials.

Here are some of McCarran Airport: