Dick Taylor has died

 

He came to Las Vegas to help get the Hacienda off the ground.  As its first General Manager, he helped put the struggling casino on the map and became good friends (and right hand man) to owner, Warren "Doc" Bailey.

He loved Las Vegas and became a historian who kept the history of the Hacienda, Bailey, the Moulin Rouge and much more alive.

Thanks to Doc's vision, the homes in Mt. Charleston became a reality over fifty years ago.  Dick was one of its first residents and became its official historian.

He was one of the first people we interviewed as part of the "Classic Las Vegas" Archive Project and his interview is available on DVD at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas.  We did the video oral history at his mid-century modern home adjacent to Rancho Bel-Air.  He had a palm tree shaped like a tiki god in his front yard.  As I drove up to his drive-way, I knew we would be good friends.

Over the years, I have gotten used to every few months getting a letter with clippings, pictures and more from Dick, all related to Las Vegas history.

When I was doing the "Untold Stories" series at the Springs Preserve, Dick was a frequent guest (driving down from the mountain) and an occasional speaker.  I will always be grateful.

He was a passionate about Las Vegas history and his lady friend, Terry.

Word came just few minutes ago that Dick Taylor passed away in his sleep last evening.

Rest in peace, good friend.  I will always be thankful for your friendship and for the history you fought so hard to preserve.

God speed.

Calling it Quits

 

 

 

 

 

It was announced this morning, the venerable Sahara Hotel, one of the last of the original ladies of the Las Vegas Strip still standing (the Riv and the Trop the other two), is closing May 16th.

 

Once home to the swinging sounds of Louie Prima, Sam Butera and Keely Smith, the Sahara was where not only Louie and the gang hit the big time and ushered in the era of the "Las Vegas Lounge" but Buddy Hackett and Don Rickles also got their start.  Johnny Carson used to headline the Congo Room.

The Beatles would have played there but, by 1964, Beatlemania was in full bloom and the concert had to be moved to the larger Las Vegas Convention Center's Rotunda.  But, John, Paul, George and Ringo stayed at the Sahara during that concert weekend.

Built by one of the Strip's best visionaries, Milton Prell and with Stan Irwin as the Entertainment Director, the Sahara was the happening place on the Strip for all of the 1960s.

But that was then and this is now.  Time and various owners have not been kind to the regal lady of yore.  For the last ten years, she has struggled to find her footing on the changing north end of the Strip.  Wynn and Encore provided a striking body blow that the Sahara has never really been able to recover from.

But, if you remember the old girl as fondly as I do, then you can read about the history of the Sahara here.

Any one remember the Club Bingo?

 

Yeah, I thought you might.

And all you Mid-Century Modern fans, how about Don the Beachcomber?

It's all part of the Sahara's history.

And thinking of staying at the Sahara, read my review from last year before making that reservation:

 

Las Vegas Memories

The Alpine Village sign in the YESCO boneyard circa 2003.

 

The Alpine Village Restaurant board (Thanks to Lonnie Hammergren)

 

Anderson Diary

 

Andy Anderson as part of the Neon Museum

 

Aqueduct Building, the Sands Hotel

Bonanza Village ad

 

Caesars Palace parking lot following a flash-flood.

 

Caesars Palace brochure cover

 

Original Caesars entrance

 

Mid Mod Marvels Weekend comes to an end!

Thank you to everyone who helped make the official second annual Mid-Century Modern weekend such a success!

Recaps to follow!

 

The Friends of Classic Las Vegas and the Architectural and Decorative Arts Society present:

Mid-Mod Marvels:  A Celebration of Mid-Century Modern Architecture and Design

The Events:

Living the Mid-Mod Lifestyle Party:


The fun begins on Friday evening, Oct. 22nd with a reception at the famed Morelli House.  The Junior League of Las Vegas has graciously agreed to open their doors for a cocktail party to kick off our weekend of Mid-Century Modern madness.

Alan Hess will be there to say a few words about not only the era of Mid-Century Modern but also provide a bit of history about the Morelli House.

The reception starts at 5:30 pm and goes until 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $25.


Mid-Century Modern History and Las Vegas

We kick-off Saturday afternoon, Oct. 23rd at the National Golf Course's (originally the Stardust Golf Course) Clubhouse with two panels on the era and Las Vegas.

 

The first one:  Mid-Century Modern Architecture, Design and Las Vegas  begins at 1:00 pm:

Panelists include Alan Hess,  architects George Tate, William Krisel and Dr. Robert Tracy talking about the influence of architects such as Welton Beckett, Wayne McAllister and Paul Revere Williams on local architects such as Walter Zick, Harris Sharp, Hugh Taylor and the influence of Mid-Century design on Las Vegas. 

The second one: The Las Vegas Bureau in the Mid-Mod Era begins at 3:00 pm:

The Las Vegas News Bureau helped put Las Vegas on the map in the Mid-Century Modern era.  The photographers captured not only the stars of the era but also the buildings and hotels of the era, most of which are gone or altered way beyond their original design.  Panelists will include:  former News Bureau manager, Don Payne.

 

In the evening of Oct. 23rd, we will present the Las Vegas premiere of the documentary, "William Krisel, Architect" at 6:30 pm.

 

The documentary, produced by Design OnScreen and directed by Jake Gorst, looks at the life and the influence of William Krisel.  Known mainly for his Mid-Century Modern architecture in California, Mr. Krisel's influence on the residential architecture of Las Vegas can be seen in the Paradise Palms neighborhood.  Working with developer Irwin Molasky, Mr. Krisel designed the homes in that subdivison.

Following the screening, the will be a Q&A session with Alan Hess about Mr. Krisel's career.

Tickets for Saturday's events are $20.00


Mid-Century Modern Las Vegas Bus Tour:


On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 24th, we will offer a double-decker bus tour highlighting the Mid-Century Modern neighborhoods of Las Vegas.  This will be a different tour route than the one we did last year with new open houses at two Mid-Century modern homes.  Neighborhoods we will glide through include Marycrest, Paradise Palms and the Scotch Eighties.

The tour leaves from the Reed Whipple Cultural Center at noon, include a stop at the Morelli House and will last three hours.  The bus will return to Reed Whipple at the end of the tour.

Please be aware, like last year, seating for the tour is limited.

Tickets are $20.

Now, if you want to save a few dollars, you can buy a three-day pass for $50.  Passes and individual tickets will be available on the ADAS website.  As soon as they have the page up, we will post a link here.

So, start planning your wardrobe and your itinerary, because this is going to be one great weekend you won't want to miss!

Support for this great weekend provided by:

City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission

Sponsors for this great weekend are:

The El Cortez

The Junior League of Las Vegas

Metro Arts Council

Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas

Retro Vegas

Terry Wilsey

VeryVintageVegas