Fremont Street with just a sliver of the park that once was in front of the Train Depot

Fremont Street looking west towards the Train Depot

The wonderful Fox Theater in the original Charleston Plaza Mall.

It was a great theater, big, comfortable seats, big screen with a red curtain and air conditioning.

Fremont Street looking east towards the El Cortez

Glitter Gulch

Fremont Street looking west towards the Train Depot

Robbie the Robot plays blackjack

Well since we have no new episode of Vegas tonight, here are some images of classic Las Vegas:

Benny Binion's Horseshoe Club

The Ambassador Motel

Playing the slots

We are thrilled to announce that one of our favorite places, the classic El Cortez Hotel and Casino, on Fremont Street has been added to the National Register of Historic Places!!!!!

If you know us, you know we love the El Cortez and we love the fact it has kept its original facade all these years!  Designed by Wayne McAllister, once owned by Bugsy Siegel and pals and owned in its prime by Las Vegas legend, Jackie Gaughan, the El Cortez has sat on the corner of Fremont Street and 6th Street for over seventy years.  At one time, our Sears and Roebuck was located across the street. Bet you never bought your back to school clothes at a store across the street from a casino but those of us who grew up in Las Vegas back in the day, WE DID!!!!

When Jackie Gaughan sold the Cortez a few years ago, everyone held their breath. What would happen? Would he sell to developers who would raze the hotel? Would he sell to someone who didn't understand its history or appreciate its neon? Crisis was averted because Jackie kept the casino (and surrounding properties) in the family.

Mike Nolan and his team went to work on restoring the interior of the El Cortez which by then, was known more for its smoky interior and its geriatric clientele.

Today, you can walk through the El Cortez and not feel like your lungs are on fire. Today, the El Cortez appeals to all ages, hipsters, locals and everyone looking for a bargain in a city better known for high priced table service than bargains.

The El Cortez and those who run the hotel have been on the forefront of anchoring the East Fremont Entertainment District and doing all they can to encourage locals and visitors to look beyond the neon canopy of upper Fremont Street and join the fun.

In a city known more for demolitioning it's historic buildings in a party atmosphere, the El Cortez stands as a reminder that classic Las Vegas is worth preserving!

Congratulations to the El Cortez for joining the National Register and all those involved in making this happen!!!!

El Cortez Hotel and Casino, located at 600 Fremont Street in Las
Vegas, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on February 13, 2013.
The National Register is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.
When it opened in 1941, Fremont Street’s El Cortez became the premiere hotel/casino in
downtown Las Vegas. The popularity of El Cortez helped bolster the city’s economic
development while its various owners helped define the city as it emerged as an international
entertainment capital. Following the 1959 installation of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las
Vegas" sign (NRHP listed 2009), new resorts established the Las Vegas Strip and later
eclipsed the popularity of downtown. El Cortez, however, would remain a constant presence
in downtown Las Vegas.

Constructed in 1941, El Cortez is primarily Spanish Colonial Revival style but reflects the
1952 remodel when the façade was ‘modernized’ and the marquee and prominent rooftop
signage were added. El Cortez remains one of the oldest establishments on Fremont Street
and is the only establishment to continue operation under its original name. Today, El Cortez
Hotel and Casino continues to convey the feeling of 1952 Las Vegas.

“We are pleased that such a beloved and well-tended icon has been given this national
recognition. We encourage visitors looking for an authentic vintage Las Vegas vacation to
seek out this cherished resource,” said Rebecca Palmer, acting state historic preservation
officer.


 

History of the El Cortez: http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/downtown-history/2007/5/3/a-brief-history-of-fremont-street-cont-1.html

Other stories:

http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/classic-las-vegas-blog/2012/9/8/el-cortez-is-going-for-historic-designation.html

http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/classic-las-vegas-blog/2009/5/10/el-cortez-opens-its-new-cabana-suites.html

Do you remember any of these?  Have memories you would like to share?

"Liberace would fill a hotel, Sinatra would fill the town." 

Don Payne, former Manager of the Las Vegas News Bureau.

For over thirty-five years, Frank Sinatra's name on a hotel marquee was a guarantee of sold-out shows.  Just word that Sinatra was coming would spike airline reservations and hotel reservations.  In the era before the Internet and Youtube, if you wanted to see Sinatra in concert, Las Vegas was the place to be.

Las Vegas was good to Sinatra at time when he needed good luck badly.  In the early 1950s, when his voice was said to be shot and his love affair with Ava Gardner was on the rocks, Wilbur Clark hired the young singer when others wouldn't return his phone call.  He played the Desert Inn and once quipped:

"Wilbur Clark gave me my first job in Las Vegas. That was 1951. 

For six bucks you got a filet mignon dinner and me.".

Frank Sinatra, 1992  

As his fortunes improved, he moved from the Desert Inn to the Sands Hotel where he would film "Ocean's 11" and the Rat Pack on-stage antics would help put the Las Vegas Strip on the map. 

After a well-publicized brawl with Carl Cohen that resulted in broken windows and the loss of his two front teeth, Sinatra moved over to Caesars Palace where he continued to weave that old Sinatra magic.

It was major news when Steve Wynn managed to steal him away and bring him to Fremont Street to play the Golden Nugget.

There have been many entertainers who left their mark on the Las Vegas Strip but none who did it quite as stylish as the Chairman of the Board.

Happy Birthday, Frank!