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Wikipedia

Desert Inn

January 01, 1970

This article is about the hotel and casino in Las Vegas. For the hotel in Yeehaw Junction, Florida, see Desert Inn and Restaurant. For the song of the same name by Yello, see Stella (album).

The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the fifth resort to open on the Strip, the first four being El Rancho Vegas, The New Frontier, Flamingo, and the El Rancho (then known as the Thunderbird). It was situated between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue.

Desert Inn Hotel and Casino
The Desert Inn in 1968
Location Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Address 3145 South Las Vegas Blvd
Opening dateApril 24, 1950 (1950-04-24)
Closing dateAugust 28, 2000; 23 years ago (2000-08-28)
ThemeDesert
No. of rooms715
Total gaming space35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2)
Signature attractionsDesert Inn Golf Course
Casino typeLand
Owner1964–1967 Moe Dalitz
1967–1988 Howard Hughes
1988–1993 Kirk Kerkorian
1993–1998 ITT / Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
1998–2000 Starwood
2000 Steve Wynn[1]
ArchitectHugh E. Taylor (1950)
William B. Tabler (1963)
John Spohrer (1978)
Previous namesWilbur Clark's Desert Inn, Sheraton Desert Inn
Coordinates36°07′43″N 115°9′59″W / 36.12861°N 115.16639°W / 36.12861; -115.16639

The Desert Inn opened with 300 rooms and the Sky Room restaurant, headed by a chef formerly of the Ritz Paris, which once had the highest vantage point on the Las Vegas Strip. The casino, at 2,400 square feet (220 m2), was one of the largest in Nevada at the time. The nine-story St. Andrews Tower was completed during the first renovation in 1963, and the 14-story Augusta Tower became the Desert Inn's main tower when it was completed in 1978 along with the seven-story Wimbledon Tower. The Palms Tower was completed in 1997 with the second and final renovation. The Desert Inn was the first hotel in Las Vegas to feature a fountain at the entrance. In 1997, the Desert Inn underwent a $200 million renovation and expansion, but after it was purchased for $270 million by Steve Wynn in 2000, he decided to demolish it and build the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino where the Desert Inn once stood, and later, Encore. The remaining towers of the Desert Inn were imploded in 2004.

The original performance venue at the Desert Inn was the Painted Desert Room, later the Crystal Room, which opened in 1950 with 450 seats. Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut there on September 13, 1951, and became a regular performer. The property included an 18-hole golf course which hosted the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions from 1953 to 1966. The golf course remained in place and is now a part of the Wynn resort.[2]

History edit

 
Young women at the hotel pool in 1955
 
The hotel in 1956

The hotel was situated at 3145 Las Vegas Boulevard South, between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue.[3] The original name was Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn. Wilbur Clark, described by Frank Sinatra biographer James Kaplan as a "onetime San Diego bellhop and Reno craps dealer",[4] originally began building the resort with his brother in 1947 with $250,000, but ran out of money. Author Hal Rothman notes that "for nearly two years the framed structure sat in the hot desert sun, looking more like an ancient relic than a nascent casino".[5] Clark approached the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for investment, but it was struggling financially. In 1949, he met with Moe Dalitz, the head of the notorious Cleveland Syndicate, which had ties to the Mayfield Road Mob, and Dalitz agreed to fund 75% of the project with $1.3 million, and construction resumed.[5] Much of the financing came from the American National Insurance Company (ANICO),[6] though Clark became the public frontman of the resort while Dalitz remained quietly in the background as the principal owner. The resort would eventually be renamed Desert Inn and was called the "D.I." by Las Vegas locals and regular guests.[7]

The Desert Inn opened formally on April 24, 1950,[8][9] at a two-day gala which was heavily publicized nationally. Journalists from all of the major newspapers and magazines were invited, and the hotel paid $5,700 to cover air tickets. 150 invitations were sent out by Clark to VIPs with a credit limit of $10,000. About half the attendees at the opening were from California and Nevada. At the opening show in the Painted Desert Room were performers such as Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Vivian Blaine, Pat Patrick, The Donn Arden Dancers, Van Heflin, Abbott and Costello, and the Desert Inn Orchestra, led by Ray Noble.[10] In attendance were a number of mafiosi, including Black Bill Tocco, Joe Massei, Sam Maceo, Peter Licavoli, and Frank Malone in a gala which Barbara Greenspun believed marked the beginning of heavy involvement of the mafia in the development of Las Vegas.[11] Sidney Korshak was one of its early investors.[11]

The Desert Inn became known for its "opulence" and top-notch service.[12] The first manager of the Desert Inn had previously worked as the manager at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco.[7] Lew and Edie Wasserman were frequent guests of the hotel.[13] During the 1950s, the hotel often hosted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill, Adlai Stevenson, Senator John F. Kennedy, and former President Harry S. Truman.[12]

In the mid 1940s and early 1950s the city and its Chamber of Commerce worked to keep the Vegas nickname of the "Atomic City" going to attract tourists.[14][15][16] After the Desert Inn opened, so called "bomb parties" famously took place in the hotel's panoramic Sky Room, where patrons could view the detonations from a relatively safe distance while drinking Atomic Cocktails.[17][18]

In 1959, Lawrence Wien, owner of New York City's Plaza Hotel purchased the hotel, but signed a management deal for Clark to remain as manager.[19] In the early 1960s, the mafia-financed casino hotels of the Las Vegas Strip and Nevada came under close scrutiny by the FBI, and they placed increased pressure on the Nevada Gaming Control Board to force the mobsters out of Las Vegas. After Sam Giancana was spotted on the premises of Frank Sinatra's Cal Neva Lodge & Casino at Lake Tahoe, his gambling license was removed by the Board and he was forced to sell up and forfeit his share in the Sands Hotel and Casino.[20][21] The Desert Inn faced similar scrutiny by the FBI, attracting controversy at the same time for the involvement of Dalitz and his mobster associates,[22] but simultaneously called for the prosecution of the FBI for illegal wiretapping.[23] In 1964, Clark sold his remaining share in the hotel to Dalitz and business associates Morris Kleinman, Thomas McGinty and Sam Tucker. He died of a heart attack the following year. The bell captain of the Desert Inn, Jack Butler, remembered Clark: "Wilbur was the greatest guy. Without him this town never would've got off the ground. Everyone came into the club just to see him and he was all over the postcards. He was the only boss who would agree to have his picture taken".[24]

The Desert Inn's most famous guest, businessman Howard Hughes, arrived on Thanksgiving Day 1966, renting the hotel's entire top two floors.[25] After staying past his initial ten-day reservation, he was asked to leave in December so that the resort could accommodate the high rollers who were expected for New Year's Eve. Instead of leaving, Hughes started negotiations to buy the Desert Inn.[26] On March 27, 1967,[27] Hughes purchased the resort from Dalitz for $6.2 million in cash and $7 million in loans.[25] This was the first of many Las Vegas resort purchases by Hughes, including the Sands Hotel and Casino ($14.6 million) and the Frontier Hotel and Casino ($23 million).[26] However, Hughes refused to include the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions in the deal, so Dalitz moved the tournament to his Stardust Resort and Casino in 1967 and 1968.[28]

The reclusive Hughes continued to live in his penthouse suite at the Desert Inn for four years, never leaving his 250 square feet (23 m2) bedroom. Usually unclothed, he spent his time "negotiating purchases and business deals with the curtains drawn and windows and doors sealed shut with tape", and did not allow anyone from the hotel staff to come in and clean his room.[25] On the eve of Thanksgiving 1970, he was removed from his room on a stretcher and flown to the Bahamas.[26] After Hughes's death in 1976, the hotel remained under the Summa Corporation, which completed the extensive renovation that he had ordered.[10] Summa sold the hotel to Kirk Kerkorian and the Tracinda Corporation in 1986, and it became known as the MGM Desert Inn.

In 1992, Frank Sinatra celebrated his 77th birthday at the hotel in an event that generated much media attention. Dick Taylor, the CEO of public relations firm Rogers & Cowan recalled: "We had the stars assemble in the casino's presidential suite and then took them in limos to the entrance of the hotel, where the press and hundreds of fans were gathered, like a Hollywood movie premiere. The stars were interviewed on the red carpet and in they went to the famed Crystal Room. It was a very big deal."[29]

Modern history edit

 
The golf course, which was retained with the opening of Wynn Las Vegas

Kerkorian sold the resort[10] to ITT Sheraton in 1993 for $160 million and it was renamed the Sheraton Desert Inn.[30] In May 1994, ITT Sheraton announced plans to build the Sheraton Desert Kingdom, a $750 million, 3,500-room megaresort on the property, adjacent to the existing Sheraton Desert Inn.[31] When ITT Sheraton bought Caesars World in December 1994, plans for the new resort were shelved.[32] In 1997, ITT Sheraton undertook a $200 million renovation of the Augusta Tower and St. Andrews Tower and expansion,[33] with the building and completion of the Palms Tower. The resort was returned to its historic name, The Desert Inn, dropping the Sheraton name, and was placed in the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection division. ITT Sheraton itself was sold the following year to Starwood.[10]

Due to losing money, Starwood immediately put The Desert Inn up for sale, and contracted a sale to Sun International Hotels Ltd. on May 19, 1999, for $275 million.[10][34] The sale to Sun International fell through the following March, however.[30] Also in 1999, Sinatra's and the Rat Pack's estate managers, Sheffield Enterprises Inc., sued the Desert Inn, claiming an infringement of rights in their use of Sinatra's name and persona in its advertising and sales, including the words "Frank", "Ol' Blue Eyes", "the chairman of the Board" and "The Rat Pack". Sinatra's estate specifically objected to their use in "billboard advertising, marquees, alcoholic beverages and wine menus, and on the front and back of tee-shirts and caps at its gift shop" and alleged photographs of Sinatra and his signature on the walls behind the bar near the entrance to the Starlight Lounge of the Desert Inn.[35]

The Desert Inn celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 24, 2000. Celebrations were held for a week and a celebrity golf tournament was held with the likes of Robert Loggia, Chris O'Donnell, Robert Urich, Susan Anton, Vincent Van Patten and Tony Curtis. As part of the festivities, a time capsule was buried in a granite burial chamber on April 25, to be reopened on April 25, 2050.[10] Three days later, on April 27, Steve Wynn purchased the resort from Starwood for $270 million. Wynn closed the Desert Inn at 2:00 a.m. on August 28, 2000.[10]

"Long time residents were stunned. They had endured the loss of the Dunes, the Sands, the Aladdin, the Landmark and the Hacienda but the loss of the Desert Inn seemed to hit many of them on more personal level. Perhaps it was that the Desert Inn had been the favored place for locals to go to for dancing and dining. Perhaps it was all the myth surrounding Wilbur Clark, Moe Dalitz and Howard Hughes. Or maybe it was that long time residents were beginning to realize that their town was forever changing and would never again be that small, wonderful Entertainment Capital of the World where you could see Sinatra and the Rat Pack or Elvis for dinner and drinks."

—Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn Hotel History[36]

On October 23, 2001, the Augusta Tower, the Desert Inn's southernmost building,[37] was imploded to make room for a mega-resort that Wynn planned to build.[38] Coming a month after the September 11 attacks, the implosion was marked with less fanfare than previous Las Vegas demolition spectacles due to its similarity to the collapse of the Twin Towers.[39] Originally intended to be named Le Rêve, the new project opened as Wynn Las Vegas. The remaining two towers, the St. Andrews Tower and Palms Tower were both temporarily used as the Wynn Gallery, spanning 1,316 square feet (122.3 m2) to display some of Wynn's art collection.[40] The St. Andrews Tower and Palms Tower were finally imploded on November 16, 2004.[41]

Architecture and features edit

The initial hotel, a $6.5 million property set in 200 acres, was designed by Hugh Taylor who was hired after Wilbur Clark and Wayne McAllister could not agree on the design. Interiors were by noted New York architect Jac Lessman.[12][42] The property conveyed the image of a "southwestern spa"[43] that was "half ranch house, half nightclub".[12] It was built of "cinder blocks but trimmed with sandstone and finished throughout the inside with redwood".[7] The logo of the hotel was a Joshua tree cactus.[4] The driveway into the hotel passed under an "old-fashioned ranch sign" bearing the name Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn in scripted letters.[12] The Desert Inn was the first hotel in Las Vegas to feature a fountain at the entrance. A "Dancing Waters" show involved the fountain jets choreographed to music.[7]

The interior of the hotel was finished in redwood with flagstone flooring.[12] The public space included a registration area, a casino, two bars, a coffee shop, a restaurant, various commercial shops and services, and a broadcasting station for K-RAM radio.[12] Guest rooms were located in wings situated behind the main building, surrounding the figure-eight swimming pool.[12] The hotel originally had 300 rooms, each outfitted with air conditioning with individual thermostats.[7][22]

The lounge was located in a three-story, glass-sided tower at the front of the hotel known as the Sky Room, which was the largest structure on the Strip at the time of its construction and commanded views of the mountains and desert all around, as well as overlooked the "Dancing Waters" feature.[12][22] The Sky Room restaurant was headed by a chef formerly of the Ritz Paris.[7]

The original performance venue at the Desert Inn was the 450 seat Painted Desert Room, later the Crystal Room, which opened in 1950 with 450 seats. Charles Cobelle created the handpainted murals, and a "band car" was used to move the orchestra within the showroom.[44] Next door was a restaurant, the Cactus Room. The Kachina Doll Ranch was a supervised play area for guests' children.[45] The hotel had a ladies salon and health club from the outset.[8] Another performance venue at the hotel was the Lady Luck Lounge.[46]

 
The hotel in 1970

The hotel first underwent renovation in the early 1960s, during which the St. Andrews Tower was built in 1963.[47] In the 1970s, the hotel underwent a $54-million renovation under Howard Hughes, which resumed under the responsibility of the Summa Corporation after his death in 1976.[10] The 14-story Augusta Tower became the Desert Inn's main tower when it was completed in 1978. The seven-story Wimbledon Tower contained duplex suites,[3] and resembled a modern version of a Mayan pyramid.[48] It overlooked the golf course and was built at the same time,[49] bringing the total room count to 825.[50] By 1978, most of the 1950s structures on the property had been replaced with modern buildings[50] and the property was renamed the Desert Inn and Country Club. It featured full country club amenities open to guests of the hotel, including a club house, driving range, pro shop, restaurant and lounge at the golf club; 10 tournament-class outdoor tennis courts; and a 18,000 feet (5,500 m) spa.[50][51] Three restaurants were added: the "small, intimate" Monte Carlo Room, the "gourmet" Portofino Room, and the Ho Wan Chinese restaurant.[50] At the time of its sale to ITT-Sheraton in 1993, the Desert Inn had the largest frontage of any casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, measuring 1,700 feet (520 m) feet.[52]

In 1997, the Desert Inn underwent a $200 million renovation and expansion by Steelman Partners,[33] giving it a new Mediterranean-looking exterior with white stucco and red clay tile roofs.[53][54] The room count was reduced to 715 to provide more luxurious accommodations.[50] The nine-story Palm Tower was completed, the lagoon-style pool was added, and notable changes were made to the Grand Lobby Atrium, Starlight Lounge, Villas Del Lago, and new golf shop and country club.[10][50] The seven-story lobby, fully built in marble,[53] was also a major part of the renovation.[10]

Casino edit

At its opening in 1950, the casino, at 2,400 square feet (220 m2), was one of the largest in Nevada at the time.[8] The windowless room included "five crap tables, three roulette wheels, four black jack tables and 75 slot machines", together with a sportsbook.[12] Hundreds of coin-operated gambling machines – including slot machines, video poker, 21, and keno – were installed during the 1978 renovation.[50] The casino acquired a reputation for attracting the high rollers.[55] On January 27, 2000, the Megabucks jackpot record for Las Vegas was broken when $34,955,489 was won by an anonymous gambler at the Desert Inn, playing a bank of six Megabucks machines near the hotel's coffee shop.[56]

Golf course and country club edit

 
(L. to r.) Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton and Wilbur Clark playing golf at the hotel in June 1959

The 18-hole, par-72[51] Desert Inn Golf Club opened in 1952. Initially, Dalitz had pushed the idea of opening a golf course next to the hotel with an entrance off the Strip, which would be accessible to other hotels and boost the city's profile as a resort destination. When other hotel owners rejected this idea, Dalitz built the course on the hotel premises.[57] He also opened an outdoor dining area, to accommodate golfers and swimmers who might prefer a more informal atmosphere.[58] The course hosted the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions from 1953 to 1966,[47] attracting professional golfers such as Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus.[57] Allard Roen was director of the tournament for many years and was instrumental in breaking down the race barrier on the Strip. He broke the all-white club convention by permitting Sammy Davis, Jr. to play on the course.[59] From 1958 it hosted the Golf Cup Golf Tournament, the largest tournament in the world for amateur golfers.[60]

 
State Historical Marker in front of the relocated Morelli House

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the course "held the distinction of being the only golf course in the United States to have annually hosted three championship tour events – the PGA Tour's Las Vegas Invitational, the Las Vegas Senior Classic and the LPGA Las Vegas International".[60] The Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational, now the Las Vegas Invitational, returned to the Desert Inn in 1983, and became known as the wealthiest PGA event in the world. It has since been won by the likes of Fuzzy Zoeller, Curtis Strange, Greg Norman, and Paul Azinger. The Las Vegas Senior Classic event at the Desert Inn was added to the Senior PGA Tour in 1986 and has since been won by Bruce Crampton (1986), Al Geiberger, who equaled the course record at the time of 62 (1987), Larry Mowry (1988) and Lee Trevino (1992).[60]

Wilbur Clark was the first to build a home on the golf course in the 1950s.[12] Additional homes were added to the Desert Inn Country Club Estates from the 1960s on. During his ownership of the hotel, Howard Hughes built 100 residential units on the property.[61] After Steve Wynn purchased the resort in 2000 and announced that the real estate was too valuable to leave as a golf course, homeowners were forced to sell their properties to Wynn and his property developer Irwin Molasky. Molasky bought homes closest to the golf course for $2 million each, and homes on the perimeter of the resort for $900,000 to $1.2 million each. The Junior League of Las Vegas convinced Wynn to save one house from demolition and moved it to a lot in downtown Las Vegas to serve as its headquarters.[36][62] This was the Morelli House, designed by architect Hugh Taylor for Antonio Morelli, a "rare example of modernist architecture in Las Vegas".[62] The house was subsequently listed on the City and State historic registers.

Performances edit

 
The Hello America Revue in the Crystal Room of the Desert Inn, 1967

Almost every major star of the latter half of the 20th century played at the Desert Inn. Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut at the Desert Inn on September 13, 1951. He later said of it: "Wilbur Clark gave me my first job in Las Vegas. That was in 1951. For six bucks you got a filet mignon dinner and me".[11] Noël Coward performed at the Inn on one occasion for an entire month.[7] In 1954, after a performance at the Desert Inn, Betty Hutton announced one of her several retirements.[63] In 1958, Tony Martin was signed to a five-year deal at $25,000 per week, making him the highest paid performer in Las Vegas.[64] Eddie Fisher was heckled by a disguised Elizabeth Taylor during a 1961 performance,[65] in a year which saw Dinah Shore booked for her fourth performance and debut Vegas performances at the Desert Inn by both Benny Goodman and Rosemary Clooney.[66] In 1979, Jet magazine noted that Wayne Newton was "enthroned" at the Desert Inn as king of entertainment idols", earning $10 million a year, which made him the highest-paid nightclub performer of all time.[67] Other performers in its famous "crystal showroom" over the years included Patti Page,[68] Ted Lewis,[46] Joe E. Lewis,[69] Bobby Darin,[70] Jimmy Durante,[22] Tony Bennett,[71] Paul Anka,[72] Dionne Warwick,[73] Louise Mandrell,[74] and more.

Louis Prima and Keely Smith recorded their 1960 Dot Records LP On Stage live at the Desert Inn.[75] Bobby Darin's famous album Live! At the Desert Inn was recorded at the hotel in February 1971.[70] In 1992, a week-long celebration of Frank Sinatra's 77th birthday at the Desert Inn was held[76] and later in January it was announced that Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Paul Anka, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme had all signed a two-year engagement agreeing to perform at least five weeks annually.[77]

Film and television edit

 
Classic image of Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn, 1955

Portions of Ocean's 11 were shot at the Desert Inn. It is one of the five Las Vegas hotels robbed on New Year's Eve by the characters played by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others in the film.[78] Orson Welles' film F for Fake covers, among other topics, the scandal of a fake biography of Howard Hughes, and the billionaire's Desert Inn residence is illustrated by Welles.[79] In the 1985 film Lost in America, Julie Hagerty's character Linda Howard loses the couple's "nest egg" at the Desert Inn, leading to a memorable scene in which Albert Brooks' character David Howard tries to convince the Casino manager (Garry Marshall) to give them their money back. David, an ad man, proposes a campaign centered around the generosity of the casino in his case, replete with a jingle: "The Desert Inn has heart... The Desert Inn has heart."[80] The opening scene to the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit took place in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel.[81] The Desert Inn saw its last commercial use in the 2001 film Rush Hour 2, shortly before it was imploded.[82] It was converted into the "Red Dragon", an Asian-themed casino set.[83]

The hotel served as the primary backdrop for the TV show Vega$ which aired on ABC from 1978 to 1981.[84][85] The 1980s Aaron Spelling soap opera Dynasty included footage of the hotel, and use of the Presidential Suite.[86] The hit 1980s NBC TV series Remington Steele filmed its 60th Las Vegas-set episode at the inn, where both the exterior and interior are shown regularly throughout the episode.[87]

Legacy edit

The closure of the Desert Inn in 2000 and subsequent demolition was unpopular with many as it seemed to mark the end of old Las Vegas. Historian Michael Green stated: "To a lot of people outside of Las Vegas, these two places (the Desert Inn and the Sands) really meant Las Vegas. These were the places that represent the images of Las Vegas, in a far greater way than the Dunes, the Aladdin, the Hacienda and the Landmark".[88] Robert Maheu, Howard Hughes's head of Nevada operations and publicist for many years, remarked that the "Desert Inn was the gem of Las Vegas". The hotel remained popular with locals until the end, as the heavily tourism-driven modern Las Vegas emerged in the 1990s.[89]

Desert Inn Road edit

Main article: Desert Inn Road

Desert Inn Road is a 17¼ mile west–east road part of the Las Vegas Valley grid road system. It travels through residential, commercial, and industrial areas and exists as a major thoroughfare in the area. At the Las Vegas Strip exists a 2½ mile expressway portion of the road officially called the Desert Inn Road Super Arterial that acts an arterial road between Winchester and Paradise. The expressway opened in 1996 and had a construction cost of US$84 million.[90]

See also edit

References edit

Citations edit

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  2. ^ Matuszewski, Erik (November 12, 2018). "Wynn Golf Club In Las Vegas To Re-Open In 2019 After Being Closed For Development". Forbes. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
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  5. ^ a b Rothman 2015, p. 13.
  6. ^ Denton & Morris 2010, p. 62.
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  8. ^ a b c Russo 2008, p. 206.
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  66. ^ "Top Names Booked for Desert Inn". Independent. Long Beach, California. March 16, 1961. p. 70. Retrieved December 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  67. ^ Vegas Idol Wayne Newton Calls Lola Falana Show Biz 'Decathlon Artist'. Johnson Publishing Company. May 17, 1979. p. 22. ISSN 0021-5996. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  68. ^ Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Co. 1966. p. 310.
  69. ^ Winchell 1975, p. 236.
  70. ^ a b DiOrio 1981, p. 199.
  71. ^ Evanier 2011, p. 239.
  72. ^ Weatherford 2001, p. 40.
  73. ^ Racing Pigeon Bulletin. 1979.
  74. ^ Roemer 1990, p. 100.
  75. ^ Larkin 2002, p. 342.
  76. ^ "Sinatra Marks 77th Birthday". The Titusville Herald. Titusville, Pennsylvania. January 3, 1992. p. 10. Retrieved December 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  77. ^ "Stars Sign Contracts with Desert Inn". The Titusville Herald. Titusville, Pennsylvania. January 16, 1992. p. 3. Retrieved December 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  78. ^ Davis & Pierce 2014, p. 86.
  79. ^ Graver & Rausch 2011, p. 76.
  80. ^ Rothman & Davis 2002, pp. 49–51.
  81. ^ "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit script". Script-o-rama.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  82. ^ Parker & Munier 2010, p. 169.
  83. ^ The Bulletin. J. Haynes and J.F. Archibald. 2001. p. 174.
  84. ^ Spelling & Liftin 2009, p. 29.
  85. ^ Clarke 2004, p. 178.
  86. ^ Cosmopolitan. Hearst Corporation. January 1985. p. 1.
  87. ^ "Episode 60". Pbfiles.net. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  88. ^ "Wynn's closure of Desert Inn strikes nerve with community". Las Vegas Sun. August 25, 2000. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  89. ^ "Desert Inn site carries a rich past". Las Vegas Sun. April 28, 2005. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  90. ^ Schweers, Jeff (March 19, 1996). "Traffic to flow on new super arterial". Las Vegas. Retrieved March 19, 2021.

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  • Bulkin, Rena (December 1996). Frommer's Las Vegas, 1997. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-02-860917-1.
  • Castleman, Deke (1999). Compass American Guide to Las Vegas. Fodor's Travel Publications. ISBN 978-0-679-00370-0.
  • Clarke, Norm (January 8, 2004). Vegas Confidential: Norm Clarke! Sin City's Ace Insider 1,000 Naked Truths. Stephens Press, LLC. ISBN 978-1-932173-26-0.
  • Davis, Tracey; Pierce, Nina Bunche (April 22, 2014). Sammy Davis Jr.: A Personal Journey with My Father. Running Press Book Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7624-5017-6.
  • DiOrio, Al (1981). Borrowed Time: The 37 Years of Bobby Darin. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-89471-111-4.
  • Davies, Richard O. (1999). The Maverick Spirit: Building the New Nevada. University of Nevada Press. p. 32. ISBN 0874173272.
  • Denton, Sally; Morris, Roger (September 30, 2010). The Money And The Power: The Rise and Reign of Las Vegas. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4090-0203-1.
  • Evanier, David (June 30, 2011). All the Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennett. John Wiley & Sons. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-118-03354-8.
  • Graver, Gary; Rausch, Andrew J. (October 28, 2011). Making Movies with Orson Welles. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-8229-4.
  • Easterling, Keller (2005). Enduring Innocence: Global Architecture and Its Political Masquerades. MIT Press. ISBN 026205079X.
  • Fox, William L. (2007). In the Desert of Desire: Las Vegas and the Culture of Spectacle. University of Nevada Press. ISBN 978-0-87417-727-5.
  • Garman, Rick (2010). Las Vegas for Dummies (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470944424.
  • Kaplan, James (November 4, 2010). Frank: The Making of a Legend. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-0-7481-2250-9.
  • Kelley, Kitty (1986). His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra. Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-553-38618-9.
  • Larkin, Colin (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1-85227-937-0.
  • Moehring, Eugene (2003). "The Sahara Hotel: Las Vegas' "Jewel in the Desert"". In Jaschke, Karin; Ötsch, Silke (eds.). Stripping Las Vegas: A Contextual Review of Casino Resort Architecture. Verl.d. Bauhaus-Universität. ISBN 3860681923.
  • Parker, Quentin; Munier, Paula (December 18, 2010). The Sordid Secrets of Las Vegas: Over 500 Seedy, Sleazy, and Scandalous Mysteries of Sin City. Adams Media. ISBN 978-1-4405-1194-3.
  • Roemer, William F. (1990). War of the Godfathers: The Bloody Confrontation Between the Chicago and New York Families for Control of Las Vegas. Donald I. Fine. ISBN 978-1-55611-193-8.
  • Rothman, Hal; Davis, Mike (2002). The Grit Beneath the Glitter: Tales from the Real Las Vegas. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22538-1.
  • Rothman, Hal (October 15, 2015). Neon Metropolis: How Las Vegas Started the Twenty-First Century. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-95852-9.
  • Russo, Gus (December 12, 2008). Supermob: How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America's Hidden Power Brokers. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59691-898-6.
  • Spelling, Tori; Liftin, Hilary (February 24, 2009). STORI Telling. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-8700-2.
  • Waldman, Carl; Donovan, Jim (February 1, 1999). Forever Sinatra: A Celebration in Words & Images. Legends Press. ISBN 978-0-9668136-0-9.
  • Weatherford, Mike (January 1, 2001). Cult Vegas: The Weirdest! the Wildest! the Swingin'est Town on Earth!. Huntington Press Inc. ISBN 978-0-929712-71-0.
  • Winchell, Walter (October 1975). Winchell exclusive: "things that happened to me—and me to them. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-960286-3.
  • Wood, Robert S; Lanier, Pamela; Zoeller, Fuzzy (April 1992). Golf Resorts: The Complete Guide. Lanier Pub. International. ISBN 978-0-89815-476-4.
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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Desert Inn.
  • Video of Desert Inn implosion, October 23, 2001
  • Jac Lessman architectural records and papers, 1925-1975. Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

January 01, 1970
desert, this, article, about, hotel, casino, vegas, hotel, yeehaw, junction, florida, restaurant, song, same, name, yello, stella, album, also, known, hotel, casino, vegas, strip, paradise, nevada, which, operated, from, april, 1950, august, 2000, designed, ar. This article is about the hotel and casino in Las Vegas For the hotel in Yeehaw Junction Florida see Desert Inn and Restaurant For the song of the same name by Yello see Stella album The Desert Inn also known as the D I was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise Nevada which operated from April 24 1950 to August 28 2000 Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman it was the fifth resort to open on the Strip the first four being El Rancho Vegas The New Frontier Flamingo and the El Rancho then known as the Thunderbird It was situated between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue Desert Inn Hotel and CasinoThe Desert Inn in 1968LocationParadise Nevada U S Address3145 South Las Vegas BlvdOpening dateApril 24 1950 1950 04 24 Closing dateAugust 28 2000 23 years ago 2000 08 28 ThemeDesertNo of rooms715Total gaming space35 000 sq ft 3 300 m2 Signature attractionsDesert Inn Golf CourseCasino typeLandOwner1964 1967 Moe Dalitz1967 1988 Howard Hughes1988 1993 Kirk Kerkorian1993 1998 ITT Sheraton Hotels and Resorts1998 2000 Starwood2000 Steve Wynn 1 ArchitectHugh E Taylor 1950 William B Tabler 1963 John Spohrer 1978 Previous namesWilbur Clark s Desert Inn Sheraton Desert InnCoordinates36 07 43 N 115 9 59 W 36 12861 N 115 16639 W 36 12861 115 16639 The Desert Inn opened with 300 rooms and the Sky Room restaurant headed by a chef formerly of the Ritz Paris which once had the highest vantage point on the Las Vegas Strip The casino at 2 400 square feet 220 m2 was one of the largest in Nevada at the time The nine story St Andrews Tower was completed during the first renovation in 1963 and the 14 story Augusta Tower became the Desert Inn s main tower when it was completed in 1978 along with the seven story Wimbledon Tower The Palms Tower was completed in 1997 with the second and final renovation The Desert Inn was the first hotel in Las Vegas to feature a fountain at the entrance In 1997 the Desert Inn underwent a 200 million renovation and expansion but after it was purchased for 270 million by Steve Wynn in 2000 he decided to demolish it and build the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino where the Desert Inn once stood and later Encore The remaining towers of the Desert Inn were imploded in 2004 The original performance venue at the Desert Inn was the Painted Desert Room later the Crystal Room which opened in 1950 with 450 seats Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut there on September 13 1951 and became a regular performer The property included an 18 hole golf course which hosted the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions from 1953 to 1966 The golf course remained in place and is now a part of the Wynn resort 2 Contents 1 History 1 1 Modern history 2 Architecture and features 2 1 Casino 2 2 Golf course and country club 3 Performances 4 Film and television 5 Legacy 6 Desert Inn Road 7 See also 8 References 8 1 Citations 8 2 Sources 9 External linksHistory edit nbsp Young women at the hotel pool in 1955 nbsp The hotel in 1956 The hotel was situated at 3145 Las Vegas Boulevard South between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue 3 The original name was Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn Wilbur Clark described by Frank Sinatra biographer James Kaplan as a onetime San Diego bellhop and Reno craps dealer 4 originally began building the resort with his brother in 1947 with 250 000 but ran out of money Author Hal Rothman notes that for nearly two years the framed structure sat in the hot desert sun looking more like an ancient relic than a nascent casino 5 Clark approached the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for investment but it was struggling financially In 1949 he met with Moe Dalitz the head of the notorious Cleveland Syndicate which had ties to the Mayfield Road Mob and Dalitz agreed to fund 75 of the project with 1 3 million and construction resumed 5 Much of the financing came from the American National Insurance Company ANICO 6 though Clark became the public frontman of the resort while Dalitz remained quietly in the background as the principal owner The resort would eventually be renamed Desert Inn and was called the D I by Las Vegas locals and regular guests 7 The Desert Inn opened formally on April 24 1950 8 9 at a two day gala which was heavily publicized nationally Journalists from all of the major newspapers and magazines were invited and the hotel paid 5 700 to cover air tickets 150 invitations were sent out by Clark to VIPs with a credit limit of 10 000 About half the attendees at the opening were from California and Nevada At the opening show in the Painted Desert Room were performers such as Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Vivian Blaine Pat Patrick The Donn Arden Dancers Van Heflin Abbott and Costello and the Desert Inn Orchestra led by Ray Noble 10 In attendance were a number of mafiosi including Black Bill Tocco Joe Massei Sam Maceo Peter Licavoli and Frank Malone in a gala which Barbara Greenspun believed marked the beginning of heavy involvement of the mafia in the development of Las Vegas 11 Sidney Korshak was one of its early investors 11 The Desert Inn became known for its opulence and top notch service 12 The first manager of the Desert Inn had previously worked as the manager at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco 7 Lew and Edie Wasserman were frequent guests of the hotel 13 During the 1950s the hotel often hosted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor Winston Churchill Adlai Stevenson Senator John F Kennedy and former President Harry S Truman 12 In the mid 1940s and early 1950s the city and its Chamber of Commerce worked to keep the Vegas nickname of the Atomic City going to attract tourists 14 15 16 After the Desert Inn opened so called bomb parties famously took place in the hotel s panoramic Sky Room where patrons could view the detonations from a relatively safe distance while drinking Atomic Cocktails 17 18 In 1959 Lawrence Wien owner of New York City s Plaza Hotel purchased the hotel but signed a management deal for Clark to remain as manager 19 In the early 1960s the mafia financed casino hotels of the Las Vegas Strip and Nevada came under close scrutiny by the FBI and they placed increased pressure on the Nevada Gaming Control Board to force the mobsters out of Las Vegas After Sam Giancana was spotted on the premises of Frank Sinatra s Cal Neva Lodge amp Casino at Lake Tahoe his gambling license was removed by the Board and he was forced to sell up and forfeit his share in the Sands Hotel and Casino 20 21 The Desert Inn faced similar scrutiny by the FBI attracting controversy at the same time for the involvement of Dalitz and his mobster associates 22 but simultaneously called for the prosecution of the FBI for illegal wiretapping 23 In 1964 Clark sold his remaining share in the hotel to Dalitz and business associates Morris Kleinman Thomas McGinty and Sam Tucker He died of a heart attack the following year The bell captain of the Desert Inn Jack Butler remembered Clark Wilbur was the greatest guy Without him this town never would ve got off the ground Everyone came into the club just to see him and he was all over the postcards He was the only boss who would agree to have his picture taken 24 The Desert Inn s most famous guest businessman Howard Hughes arrived on Thanksgiving Day 1966 renting the hotel s entire top two floors 25 After staying past his initial ten day reservation he was asked to leave in December so that the resort could accommodate the high rollers who were expected for New Year s Eve Instead of leaving Hughes started negotiations to buy the Desert Inn 26 On March 27 1967 27 Hughes purchased the resort from Dalitz for 6 2 million in cash and 7 million in loans 25 This was the first of many Las Vegas resort purchases by Hughes including the Sands Hotel and Casino 14 6 million and the Frontier Hotel and Casino 23 million 26 However Hughes refused to include the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions in the deal so Dalitz moved the tournament to his Stardust Resort and Casino in 1967 and 1968 28 The reclusive Hughes continued to live in his penthouse suite at the Desert Inn for four years never leaving his 250 square feet 23 m2 bedroom Usually unclothed he spent his time negotiating purchases and business deals with the curtains drawn and windows and doors sealed shut with tape and did not allow anyone from the hotel staff to come in and clean his room 25 On the eve of Thanksgiving 1970 he was removed from his room on a stretcher and flown to the Bahamas 26 After Hughes s death in 1976 the hotel remained under the Summa Corporation which completed the extensive renovation that he had ordered 10 Summa sold the hotel to Kirk Kerkorian and the Tracinda Corporation in 1986 and it became known as the MGM Desert Inn In 1992 Frank Sinatra celebrated his 77th birthday at the hotel in an event that generated much media attention Dick Taylor the CEO of public relations firm Rogers amp Cowan recalled We had the stars assemble in the casino s presidential suite and then took them in limos to the entrance of the hotel where the press and hundreds of fans were gathered like a Hollywood movie premiere The stars were interviewed on the red carpet and in they went to the famed Crystal Room It was a very big deal 29 Modern history edit nbsp The golf course which was retained with the opening of Wynn Las Vegas Kerkorian sold the resort 10 to ITT Sheraton in 1993 for 160 million and it was renamed the Sheraton Desert Inn 30 In May 1994 ITT Sheraton announced plans to build the Sheraton Desert Kingdom a 750 million 3 500 room megaresort on the property adjacent to the existing Sheraton Desert Inn 31 When ITT Sheraton bought Caesars World in December 1994 plans for the new resort were shelved 32 In 1997 ITT Sheraton undertook a 200 million renovation of the Augusta Tower and St Andrews Tower and expansion 33 with the building and completion of the Palms Tower The resort was returned to its historic name The Desert Inn dropping the Sheraton name and was placed in the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection division ITT Sheraton itself was sold the following year to Starwood 10 Due to losing money Starwood immediately put The Desert Inn up for sale and contracted a sale to Sun International Hotels Ltd on May 19 1999 for 275 million 10 34 The sale to Sun International fell through the following March however 30 Also in 1999 Sinatra s and the Rat Pack s estate managers Sheffield Enterprises Inc sued the Desert Inn claiming an infringement of rights in their use of Sinatra s name and persona in its advertising and sales including the words Frank Ol Blue Eyes the chairman of the Board and The Rat Pack Sinatra s estate specifically objected to their use in billboard advertising marquees alcoholic beverages and wine menus and on the front and back of tee shirts and caps at its gift shop and alleged photographs of Sinatra and his signature on the walls behind the bar near the entrance to the Starlight Lounge of the Desert Inn 35 The Desert Inn celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 24 2000 Celebrations were held for a week and a celebrity golf tournament was held with the likes of Robert Loggia Chris O Donnell Robert Urich Susan Anton Vincent Van Patten and Tony Curtis As part of the festivities a time capsule was buried in a granite burial chamber on April 25 to be reopened on April 25 2050 10 Three days later on April 27 Steve Wynn purchased the resort from Starwood for 270 million Wynn closed the Desert Inn at 2 00 a m on August 28 2000 10 Long time residents were stunned They had endured the loss of the Dunes the Sands the Aladdin the Landmark and the Hacienda but the loss of the Desert Inn seemed to hit many of them on more personal level Perhaps it was that the Desert Inn had been the favored place for locals to go to for dancing and dining Perhaps it was all the myth surrounding Wilbur Clark Moe Dalitz and Howard Hughes Or maybe it was that long time residents were beginning to realize that their town was forever changing and would never again be that small wonderful Entertainment Capital of the World where you could see Sinatra and the Rat Pack or Elvis for dinner and drinks Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn Hotel History 36 On October 23 2001 the Augusta Tower the Desert Inn s southernmost building 37 was imploded to make room for a mega resort that Wynn planned to build 38 Coming a month after the September 11 attacks the implosion was marked with less fanfare than previous Las Vegas demolition spectacles due to its similarity to the collapse of the Twin Towers 39 Originally intended to be named Le Reve the new project opened as Wynn Las Vegas The remaining two towers the St Andrews Tower and Palms Tower were both temporarily used as the Wynn Gallery spanning 1 316 square feet 122 3 m2 to display some of Wynn s art collection 40 The St Andrews Tower and Palms Tower were finally imploded on November 16 2004 41 Architecture and features editThe initial hotel a 6 5 million property set in 200 acres was designed by Hugh Taylor who was hired after Wilbur Clark and Wayne McAllister could not agree on the design Interiors were by noted New York architect Jac Lessman 12 42 The property conveyed the image of a southwestern spa 43 that was half ranch house half nightclub 12 It was built of cinder blocks but trimmed with sandstone and finished throughout the inside with redwood 7 The logo of the hotel was a Joshua tree cactus 4 The driveway into the hotel passed under an old fashioned ranch sign bearing the name Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn in scripted letters 12 The Desert Inn was the first hotel in Las Vegas to feature a fountain at the entrance A Dancing Waters show involved the fountain jets choreographed to music 7 The interior of the hotel was finished in redwood with flagstone flooring 12 The public space included a registration area a casino two bars a coffee shop a restaurant various commercial shops and services and a broadcasting station for K RAM radio 12 Guest rooms were located in wings situated behind the main building surrounding the figure eight swimming pool 12 The hotel originally had 300 rooms each outfitted with air conditioning with individual thermostats 7 22 The lounge was located in a three story glass sided tower at the front of the hotel known as the Sky Room which was the largest structure on the Strip at the time of its construction and commanded views of the mountains and desert all around as well as overlooked the Dancing Waters feature 12 22 The Sky Room restaurant was headed by a chef formerly of the Ritz Paris 7 The original performance venue at the Desert Inn was the 450 seat Painted Desert Room later the Crystal Room which opened in 1950 with 450 seats Charles Cobelle created the handpainted murals and a band car was used to move the orchestra within the showroom 44 Next door was a restaurant the Cactus Room The Kachina Doll Ranch was a supervised play area for guests children 45 The hotel had a ladies salon and health club from the outset 8 Another performance venue at the hotel was the Lady Luck Lounge 46 nbsp The hotel in 1970 The hotel first underwent renovation in the early 1960s during which the St Andrews Tower was built in 1963 47 In the 1970s the hotel underwent a 54 million renovation under Howard Hughes which resumed under the responsibility of the Summa Corporation after his death in 1976 10 The 14 story Augusta Tower became the Desert Inn s main tower when it was completed in 1978 The seven story Wimbledon Tower contained duplex suites 3 and resembled a modern version of a Mayan pyramid 48 It overlooked the golf course and was built at the same time 49 bringing the total room count to 825 50 By 1978 most of the 1950s structures on the property had been replaced with modern buildings 50 and the property was renamed the Desert Inn and Country Club It featured full country club amenities open to guests of the hotel including a club house driving range pro shop restaurant and lounge at the golf club 10 tournament class outdoor tennis courts and a 18 000 feet 5 500 m spa 50 51 Three restaurants were added the small intimate Monte Carlo Room the gourmet Portofino Room and the Ho Wan Chinese restaurant 50 At the time of its sale to ITT Sheraton in 1993 the Desert Inn had the largest frontage of any casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip measuring 1 700 feet 520 m feet 52 In 1997 the Desert Inn underwent a 200 million renovation and expansion by Steelman Partners 33 giving it a new Mediterranean looking exterior with white stucco and red clay tile roofs 53 54 The room count was reduced to 715 to provide more luxurious accommodations 50 The nine story Palm Tower was completed the lagoon style pool was added and notable changes were made to the Grand Lobby Atrium Starlight Lounge Villas Del Lago and new golf shop and country club 10 50 The seven story lobby fully built in marble 53 was also a major part of the renovation 10 Casino edit At its opening in 1950 the casino at 2 400 square feet 220 m2 was one of the largest in Nevada at the time 8 The windowless room included five crap tables three roulette wheels four black jack tables and 75 slot machines together with a sportsbook 12 Hundreds of coin operated gambling machines including slot machines video poker 21 and keno were installed during the 1978 renovation 50 The casino acquired a reputation for attracting the high rollers 55 On January 27 2000 the Megabucks jackpot record for Las Vegas was broken when 34 955 489 was won by an anonymous gambler at the Desert Inn playing a bank of six Megabucks machines near the hotel s coffee shop 56 Golf course and country club edit nbsp L to r Ed Sullivan Red Skelton and Wilbur Clark playing golf at the hotel in June 1959 The 18 hole par 72 51 Desert Inn Golf Club opened in 1952 Initially Dalitz had pushed the idea of opening a golf course next to the hotel with an entrance off the Strip which would be accessible to other hotels and boost the city s profile as a resort destination When other hotel owners rejected this idea Dalitz built the course on the hotel premises 57 He also opened an outdoor dining area to accommodate golfers and swimmers who might prefer a more informal atmosphere 58 The course hosted the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions from 1953 to 1966 47 attracting professional golfers such as Sam Snead Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus 57 Allard Roen was director of the tournament for many years and was instrumental in breaking down the race barrier on the Strip He broke the all white club convention by permitting Sammy Davis Jr to play on the course 59 From 1958 it hosted the Golf Cup Golf Tournament the largest tournament in the world for amateur golfers 60 nbsp State Historical Marker in front of the relocated Morelli House According to the Las Vegas Sun the course held the distinction of being the only golf course in the United States to have annually hosted three championship tour events the PGA Tour s Las Vegas Invitational the Las Vegas Senior Classic and the LPGA Las Vegas International 60 The Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational now the Las Vegas Invitational returned to the Desert Inn in 1983 and became known as the wealthiest PGA event in the world It has since been won by the likes of Fuzzy Zoeller Curtis Strange Greg Norman and Paul Azinger The Las Vegas Senior Classic event at the Desert Inn was added to the Senior PGA Tour in 1986 and has since been won by Bruce Crampton 1986 Al Geiberger who equaled the course record at the time of 62 1987 Larry Mowry 1988 and Lee Trevino 1992 60 Wilbur Clark was the first to build a home on the golf course in the 1950s 12 Additional homes were added to the Desert Inn Country Club Estates from the 1960s on During his ownership of the hotel Howard Hughes built 100 residential units on the property 61 After Steve Wynn purchased the resort in 2000 and announced that the real estate was too valuable to leave as a golf course homeowners were forced to sell their properties to Wynn and his property developer Irwin Molasky Molasky bought homes closest to the golf course for 2 million each and homes on the perimeter of the resort for 900 000 to 1 2 million each The Junior League of Las Vegas convinced Wynn to save one house from demolition and moved it to a lot in downtown Las Vegas to serve as its headquarters 36 62 This was the Morelli House designed by architect Hugh Taylor for Antonio Morelli a rare example of modernist architecture in Las Vegas 62 The house was subsequently listed on the City and State historic registers Performances edit nbsp The Hello America Revue in the Crystal Room of the Desert Inn 1967 Almost every major star of the latter half of the 20th century played at the Desert Inn Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut at the Desert Inn on September 13 1951 He later said of it Wilbur Clark gave me my first job in Las Vegas That was in 1951 For six bucks you got a filet mignon dinner and me 11 Noel Coward performed at the Inn on one occasion for an entire month 7 In 1954 after a performance at the Desert Inn Betty Hutton announced one of her several retirements 63 In 1958 Tony Martin was signed to a five year deal at 25 000 per week making him the highest paid performer in Las Vegas 64 Eddie Fisher was heckled by a disguised Elizabeth Taylor during a 1961 performance 65 in a year which saw Dinah Shore booked for her fourth performance and debut Vegas performances at the Desert Inn by both Benny Goodman and Rosemary Clooney 66 In 1979 Jet magazine noted that Wayne Newton was enthroned at the Desert Inn as king of entertainment idols earning 10 million a year which made him the highest paid nightclub performer of all time 67 Other performers in its famous crystal showroom over the years included Patti Page 68 Ted Lewis 46 Joe E Lewis 69 Bobby Darin 70 Jimmy Durante 22 Tony Bennett 71 Paul Anka 72 Dionne Warwick 73 Louise Mandrell 74 and more Louis Prima and Keely Smith recorded their 1960 Dot Records LP On Stage live at the Desert Inn 75 Bobby Darin s famous album Live At the Desert Inn was recorded at the hotel in February 1971 70 In 1992 a week long celebration of Frank Sinatra s 77th birthday at the Desert Inn was held 76 and later in January it was announced that Sinatra Liza Minnelli Paul Anka Shirley MacLaine Dean Martin Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme had all signed a two year engagement agreeing to perform at least five weeks annually 77 Film and television edit nbsp Classic image of Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn 1955 Portions of Ocean s 11 were shot at the Desert Inn It is one of the five Las Vegas hotels robbed on New Year s Eve by the characters played by Frank Sinatra Dean Martin and others in the film 78 Orson Welles film F for Fake covers among other topics the scandal of a fake biography of Howard Hughes and the billionaire s Desert Inn residence is illustrated by Welles 79 In the 1985 film Lost in America Julie Hagerty s character Linda Howard loses the couple s nest egg at the Desert Inn leading to a memorable scene in which Albert Brooks character David Howard tries to convince the Casino manager Garry Marshall to give them their money back David an ad man proposes a campaign centered around the generosity of the casino in his case replete with a jingle The Desert Inn has heart The Desert Inn has heart 80 The opening scene to the 1993 film Sister Act 2 Back in the Habit took place in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel 81 The Desert Inn saw its last commercial use in the 2001 film Rush Hour 2 shortly before it was imploded 82 It was converted into the Red Dragon an Asian themed casino set 83 The hotel served as the primary backdrop for the TV show Vega which aired on ABC from 1978 to 1981 84 85 The 1980s Aaron Spelling soap opera Dynasty included footage of the hotel and use of the Presidential Suite 86 The hit 1980s NBC TV series Remington Steele filmed its 60th Las Vegas set episode at the inn where both the exterior and interior are shown regularly throughout the episode 87 Legacy editThe closure of the Desert Inn in 2000 and subsequent demolition was unpopular with many as it seemed to mark the end of old Las Vegas Historian Michael Green stated To a lot of people outside of Las Vegas these two places the Desert Inn and the Sands really meant Las Vegas These were the places that represent the images of Las Vegas in a far greater way than the Dunes the Aladdin the Hacienda and the Landmark 88 Robert Maheu Howard Hughes s head of Nevada operations and publicist for many years remarked that the Desert Inn was the gem of Las Vegas The hotel remained popular with locals until the end as the heavily tourism driven modern Las Vegas emerged in the 1990s 89 Desert Inn Road editMain article Desert Inn Road Desert Inn Road is a 17 mile west east road part of the Las Vegas Valley grid road system It travels through residential commercial and industrial areas and exists as a major thoroughfare in the area At the Las Vegas Strip exists a 2 mile expressway portion of the road officially called the Desert Inn Road Super Arterial that acts an arterial road between Winchester and Paradise The expressway opened in 1996 and had a construction cost of US 84 million 90 See also edit nbsp Hotels portalReferences editCitations edit Wynn Buys Desert Inn as Gift for Wife Los Angeles Times April 28 2000 Matuszewski Erik November 12 2018 Wynn Golf Club In Las Vegas To Re Open In 2019 After Being Closed For Development Forbes Retrieved December 15 2018 a b Bulkin 1996 p 49 a b Kaplan 2010 p 242 a b Rothman 2015 p 13 Denton amp Morris 2010 p 62 a b c d e f g Fox 2007 p 31 a b c Russo 2008 p 206 Koch Ed Manning Mary Toplikar Dave May 15 2008 Showtime How Sin City evolved into The Entertainment Capital of the World Las Vegas Sun Retrieved March 3 2019 a b c d e f g h i j History A2zlasvegas com Retrieved December 16 2015 a b c Russo 2008 p 207 a b c d e f g h i j k Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn Hotel History 1950s Classic Las Vegas Archived from the original on April 5 2015 Retrieved December 16 2015 Russo 2008 p 208 How 1950s Las Vegas sold atomic bomb testing as tourism www si edu Retrieved February 7 2019 Atomic tests were a tourist draw in 1950s Las Vegas Bloomberg com August 8 2014 Retrieved February 7 2019 Atomic Cocktail diffordsguide com Retrieved February 7 2019 Who are you miss atomic bomb popularmechanics com April 26 2016 Retrieved February 25 2019 Las Vegas NV Atomic Testing Museum roadsideamerica com Retrieved February 25 2019 Real Estate Man Buys the Desert Inn The Ludington Daily News Ludington Michigan August 17 1959 p 1 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Kelley 1986 pp 363 364 Waldman amp Donovan 1999 p 139 a b c d Desert Inn Online Nevada Archived from the original on October 22 2020 Retrieved December 16 2015 Governor Asks Trial of FBI for Wiretap The Corpus Christi Caller Times Corpus Christi Texas June 29 1966 p 1 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Katsilometes John April 20 2000 Desert Inn celebrates its golden anniversary Las Vegas Sun Retrieved December 16 2015 a b c People and Events Howard Hughes 1905 1976 PBS 2005 Retrieved December 13 2015 a b c Manning Mary May 15 2008 Howard Hughes A revolutionary recluse Las Vegas Sun Retrieved December 13 2015 Davies 1999 p 39 Davies 1999 pp 39 40 Frank Sinatra hoopla eclipses Lennon Elvis and Billie The Desert Sun December 7 2015 Retrieved December 16 2015 a b Desert Inn Las Vegas Strip COMPANY NEWS Las Vegas Theme Casino by ITT Sheraton The New York Times May 13 1994 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved February 21 2024 Dream city The Vegas skyline that might have been Las Vegas Weekly lasvegasweekly com August 23 2012 Retrieved February 21 2024 a b Global Equity Research UBS Warburg 2004 p 10 Sun Will Buy Desert Inn for 275 Million Los Angeles Times May 19 1999 Leong Grace September 9 1999 Sinatra estate sues Desert Inn Las Vegas Sun Retrieved December 16 2015 a b Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn Hotel History continued Classic Las Vegas Archived from the original on December 22 2015 Retrieved December 16 2015 Wynn s Plans for Desert Inn Revealed Los Angeles Times August 28 2001 Retrieved December 17 2015 Garman 2010 p 278 Easterling 2005 p 160 Wynn plans water theme at DI site Las Vegas Sun August 23 2001 Retrieved December 16 2015 The Desert Inn Implosion Las Vegas Sun Retrieved December 16 2015 Jac Lessman 85 Dies Hotel Resort Developer The New York Times November 8 1990 Retrieved December 12 2015 Moehring 2003 pp 14 15 Zook Burke amp Sandquist 2009 p 134 Architect and Engineer 1950 p 15 a b Jet Age Airlanes Ayre Publishing Company 1965 a b Casino Journal National ed Casino Journal of Nevada Incorporated January 2000 Wood Lanier amp Zoeller 1992 p 149 Castleman 1999 p 84 a b c d e f g Wilbur Clark s Desert Inn Hotel History continued Classic Las Vegas Archived from the original on December 22 2015 Retrieved December 16 2015 a b Michele and Tom Grimm October 1992 The West s Hottest Desert Resorts Orange Coast 88 McDowell Edwin June 29 1993 COMPANY NEWS ITT Buying Desert Inn In Las Vegas The New York Times Retrieved December 16 2015 a b Living it Up and Doubling Down in the New Las Vegas The New York Times Retrieved December 16 2015 Time Out Las Vegas Penguin 1998 p 84 ISBN 978 0 14 027062 4 Strow David April 24 2000 Desert Inn marks 50th anniversary Las Vegas Sun Retrieved December 16 2015 Record Megabucks jackpot hit at Desert Inn Las Vegas Sun January 27 2000 Retrieved December 16 2015 a b Davies 1999 p 32 Las Vegas Inn Opens Patio for Outdoor Dining The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Brooklyn New York June 8 1952 p 19 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Desert Inn Stardust chief helped integrate Las Vegas Strip Las Vegas Sun September 1 2008 Retrieved December 16 2015 a b c Desert Inn rich in tradition Las Vegas Sun October 20 1997 Retrieved December 16 2015 Moehring 2003 p 55 a b Schumacher Geoff April 17 2003 Cover story This old town Las Vegas Mercury Retrieved December 17 2015 The End Pampa Daily News Pampa Texas November 11 1954 p 1 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Tony Martin s 1 000 000 Deal Variety November 19 1958 p 1 Retrieved July 8 2019 via Archive org Heckler Disguised The Oneonta Star Oneonta New York June 15 1961 p 1 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Top Names Booked for Desert Inn Independent Long Beach California March 16 1961 p 70 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Vegas Idol Wayne Newton Calls Lola Falana Show Biz Decathlon Artist Johnson Publishing Company May 17 1979 p 22 ISSN 0021 5996 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Current Biography Yearbook H W Wilson Co 1966 p 310 Winchell 1975 p 236 a b DiOrio 1981 p 199 Evanier 2011 p 239 Weatherford 2001 p 40 Racing Pigeon Bulletin 1979 Roemer 1990 p 100 Larkin 2002 p 342 Sinatra Marks 77th Birthday The Titusville Herald Titusville Pennsylvania January 3 1992 p 10 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Stars Sign Contracts with Desert Inn The Titusville Herald Titusville Pennsylvania January 16 1992 p 3 Retrieved December 16 2015 via Newspapers com nbsp Davis amp Pierce 2014 p 86 Graver amp Rausch 2011 p 76 Rothman amp Davis 2002 pp 49 51 Sister Act 2 Back in the Habit script Script o rama com Retrieved December 16 2015 Parker amp Munier 2010 p 169 The Bulletin J Haynes and J F Archibald 2001 p 174 Spelling amp Liftin 2009 p 29 Clarke 2004 p 178 Cosmopolitan Hearst Corporation January 1985 p 1 Episode 60 Pbfiles net Retrieved December 12 2015 Wynn s closure of Desert Inn strikes nerve with community Las Vegas Sun August 25 2000 Retrieved December 16 2015 Desert Inn site carries a rich past Las Vegas Sun April 28 2005 Retrieved December 16 2015 Schweers Jeff March 19 1996 Traffic to flow on new super arterial Las Vegas Retrieved March 19 2021 Sources edit Architect and Engineer 1950 Architect and Engineer Vol Issues 80 183 San Francisco Architect and Engineer a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a volume has extra text help Bulkin Rena December 1996 Frommer s Las Vegas 1997 John Wiley amp Sons Incorporated ISBN 978 0 02 860917 1 Castleman Deke 1999 Compass American Guide to Las Vegas Fodor s Travel Publications ISBN 978 0 679 00370 0 Clarke Norm January 8 2004 Vegas Confidential Norm Clarke Sin City s Ace Insider 1 000 Naked Truths Stephens Press LLC ISBN 978 1 932173 26 0 Davis Tracey Pierce Nina Bunche April 22 2014 Sammy Davis Jr A Personal Journey with My Father Running Press Book Publishers ISBN 978 0 7624 5017 6 DiOrio Al 1981 Borrowed Time The 37 Years of Bobby Darin Running Press ISBN 978 0 89471 111 4 Davies Richard O 1999 The Maverick Spirit Building the New Nevada University of Nevada Press p 32 ISBN 0874173272 Denton Sally Morris Roger September 30 2010 The Money And The Power The Rise and Reign of Las Vegas Random House ISBN 978 1 4090 0203 1 Evanier David June 30 2011 All the Things You Are The Life of Tony Bennett John Wiley amp Sons p 239 ISBN 978 1 118 03354 8 Graver Gary Rausch Andrew J October 28 2011 Making Movies with Orson Welles Scarecrow Press ISBN 978 0 8108 8229 4 Easterling Keller 2005 Enduring Innocence Global Architecture and Its Political Masquerades MIT Press ISBN 026205079X Fox William L 2007 In the Desert of Desire Las Vegas and the Culture of Spectacle University of Nevada Press ISBN 978 0 87417 727 5 Garman Rick 2010 Las Vegas for Dummies 6th ed John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 0470944424 Kaplan James November 4 2010 Frank The Making of a Legend Little Brown Book Group ISBN 978 0 7481 2250 9 Kelley Kitty 1986 His Way The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks ISBN 978 0 553 38618 9 Larkin Colin 2002 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music Virgin Books ISBN 978 1 85227 937 0 Moehring Eugene 2003 The Sahara Hotel Las Vegas Jewel in the Desert In Jaschke Karin Otsch Silke eds Stripping Las Vegas A Contextual Review of Casino Resort Architecture Verl d Bauhaus Universitat ISBN 3860681923 Parker Quentin Munier Paula December 18 2010 The Sordid Secrets of Las Vegas Over 500 Seedy Sleazy and Scandalous Mysteries of Sin City Adams Media ISBN 978 1 4405 1194 3 Roemer William F 1990 War of the Godfathers The Bloody Confrontation Between the Chicago and New York Families for Control of Las Vegas Donald I Fine ISBN 978 1 55611 193 8 Rothman Hal Davis Mike 2002 The Grit Beneath the Glitter Tales from the Real Las Vegas University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 22538 1 Rothman Hal October 15 2015 Neon Metropolis How Las Vegas Started the Twenty First Century Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 317 95852 9 Russo Gus December 12 2008 Supermob How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America s Hidden Power Brokers Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 978 1 59691 898 6 Spelling Tori Liftin Hilary February 24 2009 STORI Telling Simon and Schuster ISBN 978 1 4165 8700 2 Waldman Carl Donovan Jim February 1 1999 Forever Sinatra A Celebration in Words amp Images Legends Press ISBN 978 0 9668136 0 9 Weatherford Mike January 1 2001 Cult Vegas The Weirdest the Wildest the Swingin est Town on Earth Huntington Press Inc ISBN 978 0 929712 71 0 Winchell Walter October 1975 Winchell exclusive things that happened to me and me to them Prentice Hall ISBN 978 0 13 960286 3 Wood Robert S Lanier Pamela Zoeller Fuzzy April 1992 Golf Resorts The Complete Guide Lanier Pub International ISBN 978 0 89815 476 4 Zook Lynn Burke Carey Sandquist Allen March 2 2009 Las Vegas 1905 1965 Arcadia Publishing ISBN 978 1 4396 2310 7 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Desert Inn Video of Desert Inn implosion October 23 2001 Jac Lessman architectural records and papers 1925 1975 Held by the Department of Drawings amp Archives Avery Architectural amp Fine Arts Library Columbia University Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Desert Inn amp oldid 1226354976 Golf course and country club, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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