Join us as we separate myth from fact, share stories of the men and women who helped build the town and celebrate one of the most fabulous cities ever built!
Congrats to Michael Cornthwaite and the Huntridge Revival Group! They have managed a major breakthrough!
The Las Vegas Centennial Commission has awarded a $1 Million grant to the Historic Huntridge Revival Group!
This means that work can continue on saving the building and renovating it!
Our buddy John L. Smith remembers Jackie Gaughan in his R-J column today:
Jackie Gaughan
New visitors to the El Cortez some years ago would have been forgiven for failing to spot the owner of the downtown casino.
He wasn’t a fresh-faced CEO or a consummate corporate type with an MBA. On the contrary. He was the affable old fellow in the loud sport coat who moved through the slot bays picking up cocktail glasses and emptying ashtrays while keeping up a playful patter with customers he addressed by name.
To read more please go here: http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/john-l-smith/loyalty-love-jackie?fb_action_ids=10203440444429768&fb_action_types=og.likes
UPDATE 3/15/14: While Jackie will be buried in Omaha, Nebraska, there will be a visitation and memorial for him in the city he loved: Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Sunday, March 16, followed by a brief scripture reading, both at Palm Mortuary, 1325 N. Main St. The funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. Monday, March 17, at St. Viator's Church, 2461 E. Flamingo Road. Burial will be in Omaha. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bishop Gorman High School, 5959 Hualapai Way, Las Vegas, NV 89148.
Jackie Gaughan gambling at his beloved El Cortez
Las Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan has died. Best known for owning the El Cortez and the Las Vegas Club, among others, during the hey day of Fremont Street, Jackie was a well-known figure to many.
Jackie Gaughan first came to Las Vegas in 1943 when he was stationed at the old air base at what is now Nellis during World War II.
He moved his wife Roberta and two sons,Michael and Jackie, jr to Las Vegas in 1951. He bought a small 3% of the Boulder Club and 3% of the Flamingo with partner Eddie Barrick. Jackie had a knack for sports books and handicapping. In 1961, he and partner Mel Exber bought the Las Vegas Club and in 1963, they bought the El Cortez. Gaughan hired Wayne McAllister to oversee the design and construction of a new room tower.
Jackie invented the Fun Book, filled with coupons for free drinks, free slot pulls and two for one dinners. Like Benny Binion, he had a knack for understanding and treating his customers like kings.
At one time, he owned or had a part in eight casinos, including the Union Plaza and the Showboat, as well as owning the Ambassador Motel.
John L. Smith, long time observer of Las Vegas and columnist for the Review-Journal wrote several years ago about Jackie:
"At one time or another, Jackie has owned or had a hand in operating most of the buildings of Fremont Street. An incomplete list: Jackie Gaughan's Plaza, and a partnership with Exber in the Las Vegas Club, the Pioneer and Sundance; he was a major stockholder and board member of the Golden Nugget, and he owned the Gold Spike and Western Bingo, and the Bingo Club and Boulder Club.
Jackie also owned several points in the Showboat and the Flamingo, but as son Michael Gaughan says, "Dad was a downtown guy. He never understood why people would build neighborhood casinos. He liked downtown. And my dad always did well with the local citizens. Even the El Cortez does well today. He's probably had more gaming licenses than anybody else."
And the thing is, Jackie knew his places intimately, visited them daily wearing his plaid sport coats and a sunny disposition. Jackie was never too big to pick up an empty glass or clean an ashtray."
Those of us who grew up in Las Vegas back in the hey day of Fremont Street, it wasn't uncommon to see casino owners like Jackie and Benny Binion in their casinos or coffee shops keeping an eye on business.
As he got older, Jackie sold off a number of his properties but he kept his beloved El Cortez. He and his wife Roberta, who passed away in 1996, lived in the penthouse and Jackie could be seen at the gaming tables and walking through the casino.
When he finally did retire, he sold the El Cortez to the Epstein family. Kenny Epstein, one of Jackie's partners since the 1950s, his son and Jackie's nephew Mike Nolan became the official owners of the venerable downtown casino and hotel.
Rather than give the El Cortez a make over and totally change the tenor of the place, they instead invested in renovating the existing facade and kept the El Cortez as she was, just cleaned up and looking ready for another sixty years of doing business.
Jackie lived to see his beloved El Cortez become a registered Historical Landmark.
Downtown and Fremont Street, especially, today, seem not quite so bright. The light of the El Cortez has gone dark
RIP, Jackie Gaughan and thanks for all you did!.
The Huntridge Theater has seen good times and bad times. It has been a first run movie theater, a second run house, and a concert venue. For many, they only know it as that empty building at the corner of East Charleston and Maryland Parkway.
Over the years, many have tried to help restore the building, renovate it, there have been many ideas over the years. Here at Classic Las Vegas, we were involved in the preservation efforts in 2006 and 2007. The Great Recession brought those efforts to a halt. Then, last year, Michael Cornthwaite and a group of investors, announced that they were going to revive the Huntridge. Hundreds showed up to help paint the facade and clean up the parking lot.
While there hasn't been much headlining making news on the venture lately, work has been going on. Joe Schoenmann, of the Las Vegas Sun, reports that the building has a new logo adorning it.
New Huntridge Logo being added- Photo Courtesy of the Las Vegas Sun
Until today, little new information has emerged about renovating the historic Huntridge Theater, plans of which so energized the community that an online fundraiser collected more than $200,000 to assist in the renovation.
After that money came in, several companies then vowed to donate time for lighting, design and more. In addition, hundreds of residents answered the call and showed up to whitewash the building, whose ancient paint job had flaked away.
Months passed. Some thought the theater revival plans had faded away. Others figured that a December deadline for Huntridge Revival LLC to raise $4 million to buy the 69-year-old building had been missed (another $11 million is needed for renovation).
Then late this morning, signs of life.
A crew with a hydraulic cherry picker began to erect a massive square banner on the building containing a new logo — an “H” inside a circle.
Chris Fahlman, hired as Huntridge general manager last year and on site to watch as the banner-crew worked, said the banner serves as a reminder that the project is moving forward. He also said that the $4 million deadline had been extended to June as “qualified investors” are sought.
“We’re at a phase where we’re raising additional investment to finalize the purchase,” he said. “The clock is ticking.”
For more on the article: http://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/feb/24/new-logo-graces-huntridge-signaling-projects-progr/
Share your memories of the Huntridge with us in the comments section!
Read about the history of the Huntridge and articles on the efforts to save her, here:
http://classiclasvegasblog.com/classic-las-vegas-blog/2008/3/11/more-huntridge-theater-history.html
http://classiclasvegasblog.com/classic-las-vegas-blog/2013/6/7/help-save-the-huntridge-theater.html
