A River of Neon
Atomic Liquors has anchored East Fremont since the above-ground testing days of Las Vegas history.
Fremont Street in the late 1950s:
The Yucca Motel:
Fremont Street the mid-1950s:
The Holiday Motel:
The Gateway Motel (next door to Dona Maria's):
The Somerset Motel:
Mid-Mod Marvels Recap!
Our buddy Dennis McBride, the Curator of History at the Nevada State Museum not only saved our Saturday programs with his canny foresight but he also wrote up this wonderful recap of all the events:
A Successful Weekend
On October 22-24, the Friends of Classic Las Vegas hosted its second annual Mid-Century Modern event. Co-sponsored this year by the Architectural and Decorative Arts Society, the El Cortez Hotel, Retro Vegas, VeryVintageVegas.com, the Metro Arts Council of Southern Nevada, and RAFI Planning, Architecture, and Urban Design, Mid Mod Marvels proved once more the enduring popularity of mid-century modern living.
The weekend started with a swank affair Friday night at the Morelli House, maybe the best known Mid-Century Modern landmark in Las Vegas, owned and restored by the Junior League. League members dressed in period clothing, provided tours of the house, and hosted a meet-and-greet reception for Mid-Century aficionados. The Nevada State Museum supplied a series of photographs of mid-century Las Vegas from the Jay Florian Mitchell Collection to round out the evening. With plenty of wine and nibbly things, the evening gave a hint of the fun yet to come.
Saturday included two panel discussions and the Las Vegas premier of the film, William Krisel, Architect, a documentary detailing the career of famed mid-century architect Bill Krisel. The Las Vegas National Golf Club on Desert Inn Road, around which Krisel and his partner, Dan Palmer, built their iconic Paradise Palms residential development, hosted Saturday’s events.
Last of the Las Vegas Memories
This series has been very popular so I thought we would end the series on an up note:
The pineapple fountain that once graced the front of the Tropicana
Snow day, December 2008
The El Rancho Vegas with its famous pool
Downtown 1955
A slogan that brought thousands for a visit
The original House of Lords rendering, Sahara Hotel
The El Morocco (formerly the Bank of Las Vegas) and Jack Dennison's Copper Cart