In a recent QoD, you mentioned having written about interesting objects salvaged from old casinos, and hinted you’d since found out about others. So… What are they? And where??!
A:
As a recap for those who missed this subject the first time around (12/08/12), here’s what we wrote back then, somewhat paraphrased:
"With the majority of interesting extant Las Vegas landmarks now having found a home at the Neon Museum, there aren’t too many examples we could think of when it comes to incongruous hangovers from yesteryear that still survive in situ, but here are the few examples we know of.
•Delilah the Disco-Ball Armadillo: This awesome amadillo-shaped ’70s throwback started out her Las Vegas life (we’re not sure if she had a previous one) at Texas Station in the appropriately named Armadillo Lounge (again, we’re not sure which came first, the armadillo or the lounge) and remained in place even after that venue changed names. She has since been relocated to a new home at Revolver, the cowboy-themed late-night hangout at sister property Santa Fe Station.
•San Remo chandelier: This crystal extravaganza was even a little OTT back in its original San Remo days, but since that property was transformed into the beach-themed Hooters casino back in 2006, it became even more incongruous. Still, we have to give it to the new owners, who couldn’t bring themselves to part with the chandelier, so it remains to this day above the casino at the off-Strip property (we just called the pit to confirm, and spoke to "George," who at first was confused when he thought we were looking for a "sommelier," but then confirmed that the ginormous lighting fixture was still hanging above his head. The whole property will likely see a total de-Hooterizing in the not-too-distant future, so perhaps they’ll remodel around the classy chandelier this time around.
•Elvis statue: While Elvis — and most traces of him — have well and truly left the building, there’s still a statue of the King outside LVH (it was initially on display in a glass case outside the then Las Vegas Hilton’s showroom, but was "downgraded" to a location outside the property’s front door in 2006.) If you didn’t know anything about Elvis’ history at the original International, it could be confusing, but fans still make an annual pilgrimage.
•Benny on Horseback: The horse-riding statue of casino legend Benny Binion, which for 20 years occupied a prominent spot downtown at the corner of Casino Center Boulevard and Ogden Avenue, was moved in 2008 to the equestrian center at South Point, which probably saved it from obliteration.
So, that’s the list we came up with the first time around, when we were dealing primarily with artifacts that had been preserved — out of time — in their original location. The person who posed today’s follow-up was responding to the "QoD" that ran on 9/3/13, in which we discussed (the very few) items discovered by chance when old casinos have been imploded or remodeled, and while we can’t tell you what happened to the original camel sculptures at the Sahara, or Bob Stupak’s infamous Big Six Wheel, we can reveal the whereabouts of some other iconic items salvaged from the brink of destruction, plus another discovery we’ve just come across.
•Stardust Tiki Head: In 1977, the Stardust, which continued to be mired in mob problems, underwent a major remodel, not least as an abortive attempt to distance it from recent unsavory events, as a part of which the original bombastic galactic theme was abandoned, although the original roadside signage remained (who knows what subsequently happened to that. These ongoing changes included the closure, in 1980, of the long-established Aku Aku Polynesian restaurant, the roadside sign for which had been marked by a giant stone Tiki head. Old-timers may wonder what became of him? Well, the answer — and don’t ask us to explain why, since we cannot — is that it’s now to be found on an island in the artificial lake at Sunset Park, out past the airport.
•Studio 54: In February of last year, Las Vegas’ Studio 54 nightclub, which for its ground-breaking moves was almost as revolutionary here as the original club was when it opened in New York, closed its doors after an epic 14 years on the Strip. While the whole space was gutted and is part of the new Hakkasan, casino executives are evidently now placing more value on the past than had been the case until recently, and it turns out that all the mirror balls, branded souvenirs, and the iconic "moon and spoon" sign from Studio 54, have been placed in storage inside an MGM warehouse, in case there’s ever a relaunch of the club (unlikely, but at least all the bling’s still around, just in case).
•Roxy’s Pipe Organ: Back in 2009, we wrote in LVA about a new pizzeria that had just opened in the the Spin City casino annex added to the Fiesta (Rancho), back when it was still owned by George Maloof. In addition to the pies, the main draw at Roxy’s Pipe Organ Pizzeria — yep, the name’s a bit of a giveaway — was the massive 16-ton Kimball organ that was featured in live performances nightly. The real McCoy, this awesome instrument was built in 1927 for the 6,000-seat Roxy Theater in Manhattan to provide soundtrack back in the silent-movie days, but was mothballed in the ’50s when the Roxy was torn down. It was later rescued by the Maloofs and shipped to Las Vegas in thousands of pieces, which it took 25 craftsmen-organ restorers, cabinet makers, electricians, hydrolics engineers, and artists a full year to put back together.
Even though George subsequently sold the Fiesta to finance building the Palms, the organ’s fate was never in doubt, since older Maloof brother Phil is an avid collector of art and antiques and now houses this, along with several other restored organs, in one of the custom-built wings of his Las Vegas residence, known as the "Funhouse."
•Union Pacific Time Capsule: While both Venetian and Wynn likely have not just one, but multiple time capsules lost in their foundations, dating back to their respective Sands and Desert Inn days, we just learned about a time capsule that was dug up downtown on the site where the Union Plaza (now Plaza) hotel was built. This had originally been the location of the awesome Art-Deco styled Union Pacific Railroad Depot and when, in 1970, the building was demolished, a time caspsule was discovered in the cornerstone. It had been placed there in 1940 and contained a bunch of historic photographs, including: an early city mayor and his wife, taken in 1909; a snap taken the Las Vegas Rotary Club’s Christmas party in 1940; a shot of Las Vegas taken in 1910; a 1940 image of Fremont Street, titled, "Bright lights-gay nights in Las Vegas, Nevada;" and a shot of an unknown man in a bar, drinking a beer — while sitting on his horse.
from www.lasvegasadvisor.com
Replies:
No replies were posted for this topic.
