Riviera Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip
The Riviera opened on April 20, 1955 as the first high-rise and the ninth resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The Riviera is one of the oldest and most famous casino resorts in Las Vegas.
The Riviera closed in May 4, 2015 and is currently own by the Las Vegas Convention authority which who paid $182.5 million to acquire. Here are some photos of it’s last operational day on May 4, 2015.
Photo by: LasVegas360.com
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas at the south end of the “Strip”
Betty Willis passed away on April 20, 2015 (age 91) in Overton, Nevada. Betty was famously known as a neon sign designer and is responsible for designing one of the most iconic signs in the world, The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign. Erected in 1959 by Western Neon and is currently owned by YESCO. The sign was designed by Betty Willis and was never copyrighted.
Blue Angel Motel
The Blue Angel Motel sign was also designed by Betty Willis was criticized for depicting the well endowed angel that now over looks the motel. At one time, the angel revolved and was surrounded by blue jays. The Blue Angel was inspired, fittingly enough, by the Blue Fairy in Walt Disney’s classic animated feature, “Pinocchio”.
The Normandie Motel Marquee neon sign
Another sign by Willis was the Normandie Motel Sign. The original motel was located on the east end of Fremont Street and was torn down during the first decade of 2000. The sign is now located on Las Vegas Blvd. just north of Fremont Street and is part of the public display from the Boneyard collection.
Moulin Rouge Neon Sign in West Las Vegas
Willis designed the French inspired sign for the Moulin Rouge Hotel.
She continued designing signs until she retired at the age of 77.
Water Street Historic District of Downtown Henderson, aerial view of Lake Las Vegas, Foothills nearby Henderson, Henderson City Hall.
On this date, April 16, 1953 Henderson, Nevada was officially incorporated on April 16, 1953 as the City of Henderson. Henderson is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with a population of 257,729 in the 2010 census. The city is part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which spans the entire Las Vegas Valley. Henderson occupies the southeastern end of the valley.
The township of Henderson first emerged in the 1940s during World War II with the building of the Basic Magnesium Plant. Henderson quickly became a main supplier of magnesium in the United States, which was called the “miracle metal” of World War II. The plant supplied the US War Department with magnesium for incendiary munition casings and airplane engines, frames, and other parts. A quarter of all US wartime magnesium came from the Henderson Plant to strengthen aluminum, using 25% of Hoover Dam’s power to separate the metal from its ore by electrolysis.
In 1988, the PEPCON rocket fuel factory in the modern-day Gibson Springs neighborhood of Henderson caught on fire. The fire quickly spread and engulfed the factory, spewing rocket fuel, smoke, and toxic fumes from the building. The factory was subsequently obliterated by a massive explosion caused by the fire, followed by six smaller explosions. The explosions sent shockwaves through the Las Vegas Valley, shattering glass and damaging buildings miles away in nearby Las Vegas. The explosions also caused some earthquakes, some of which measured over 3.0 on the Richter magnitude scale. Two people were killed, and an additional 372 people were injured.
The events of the PEPCON factory disaster spurred development in Henderson from its historical industrial development to largely residential and commercial as it is today. There are no signs of the PEPCON explosion today, and the site now consists mostly of office buildings.
Photo by: Wikipedia.org
El Rancho Vegas The First Hotel on the what would become the Las Vegas Strip
Aerial shot of the El Rancho Vegas - Notice the Union Pacific Railroad line in the background
The El Rancho Vegas was the first resort on the what would become the Las Vegas Strip and open on April 3, 1941. The hotel was located on the corner of Highway 91 and San Francisco Ave, now know as Las Vegas Blvd. and Sahara Ave.. It was the largest hotel in Las Vegas with 110 rooms in 1941. When it opened, El Rancho Vegas’s dining room was the largest in Las Vegas. The casino consisted of four table games—two blackjack tables, one roulette table, and one craps table—and seventy slot machines. The hotel gained much of its fame from the gourmet buffet that it offered.
On July 17, 1960, the hotel was destroyed by fire. In 1982, the former Thunderbird Hotel located across the street was re-branded as the El Rancho Casino, creating some confusion. In 1970, billionaire Howard Hughes purchased 60 acres of the land. In 1978, the remnants of the old resort were demolished. The Hilton Grand Vacation Club now occupies a portion of the land. but the rest of the property for over 50years still remains a dirt lot on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd, aka “The Strip” and Sahara Ave.
Honest John’s in Downtown Las Vegas
March 21, 1961 Honest John’s Casino opens at 304 Ogden Street in downtown Las Vegas. This was small place was a slots only casino.
This was the Honest John’s located downtown and not the other one located on Las Vegas Blvd. and Sahara Ave. But, in 1968 it was renamed Lady Luck. In 1972, it expanded from its small beginnings to engulf the whole block as a full-fledged casino with restaurants and shops.
Currently the Downtown Grand resides at this location.
The photo above is the only photo of the downtown location we have.
Las Vegas Land Map 1905
When was Las Vegas Founded? Most people regard the founding of Las Vegas as May 15, 1905 with the auction/land sale of the land in the current downtown Las Vegas as our community’s birthday and this fact is not disputed anywhere. As for the date that Las Vegas became an incorporated town, now that is up for debate. A lot of websites on internet set the date as March 16, 1911, but what happen on that date was that the then governor Tasker Oddie signed the legislation that would put it up to a vote.
“the qualified voters of the precinct of Las Vegas shall vote on the question (of) whether they shall accept the charge and be incorporated as a city, pursuant to the provisions as herein set forth.” – Tasker Oddie
On June 1, 1911, the voters went to the polls to incorporate the township of Las Vegas. The results were 168 were in favor of incorporation and 57 opposed. The front page of the Las Vegas Age of June 3, 1911 pointed out the winning margin was 3 to 1.
When is the Birth Date of Las Vegas?
Some people point to the date of May 15, 1905 – Auction Date.
Some choose March 16, 1911 – Date of the the Governor signed legislation to put it on the ballot.
Some choose June 1, 1911 – This was the actual date that the voter went to the polls.
Source: Desert Companion
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