Owners get approval for demolition of historic Moulin Rouge casino in Las Vegas (first desegregated)

[Bluebear]

A final farewell to a legend....




When it opened, the Moulin Rouge was fully integrated top to bottom, from employees to patrons to entertainers.

The hotel made the June 20, 1955, cover of Life magazine, with a photo of two showgirls. A veritable "A" list of performers regularly showed to party until dawn. Great black singers and musicians such as Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, and Louis Armstrong would perform often. These artists were banned from gambling or staying at the hotels on the strip.<1> In addition, white performers, including George Burns, Jack Benny, and Frank Sinatra, would drop in after their shows to gamble and perform. Eventually management added a 2:30am "Third Show" to accommodate the crowds.



Demolition work on some of the Moulin Rouge's last remaining structures could start Thursday now that the property owners have permission to start tearing down the dilapidated remains of a storied casino.

The Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission approved the necessary permit Wednesday.

One member, Raymond Aikens, voted no, and commission member Karen Duncan abstained because she worked with previous owners who tried to revitalize the property. She opposed the demolition.

Open for only a few months in 1955, the Moulin Rouge was the valley's first integrated hotel-casino in an era when African-Americans couldn't be guests at other properties. In 1960, the property hosted a landmark meeting in which most hotel owners agreed to end their segregation policies.

In the intervening years, fire and neglect have taken their toll, and the structures to be demolished -- part of the hotel's facade, a tower, a guard shack and two gutted signs -- are no longer viable, according to an engineer hired by the current owner, Olympic Coast Investments.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/owners-get-approval-for-moulin-rouge-demolition-97013014.html

[marmar]

1. Oh No !!!! I was hoping they would be able to save it and revitalize it.....

..... I saw an A&E special on it....so historic. It emerged in the days when Las Vegas was known as the "Mississippi of the West."

[Bluebear]

4. If I could time travel & see Dinah Washington at the Moulin Rouge...

ah fantasy!

[whistler162]

2. Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission = Oxymoron?

[Bluebear]

3. Not in the least. This property was a landmark in being the 1st fully integrated entertainment venue

[Bluebear]

5. !