A Brief History of Fremont Street (cont.)

April 7, 2007

The Western corner of Second and Fremont

This is one of the most storied corners on Fremont Street due mainly to the larger than life Texan who found his fame and fortune when he opened the Horseshoe Club. But before it was the Horseshoe Club, the corner had already been making history:

Hotel Apache

Built in 1932, this was the first building in Las Vegas to have an elevator. It's brick facade is still there hidden behind the Binion's signage. The Apache also had stain glass windows and some of those are still there. The Hotel Apache had a lavish bar and downstairs in the Garden Room, the ladies of the Mesquite Club would hold their meetings there. Over drinks at the bar, local businessman and civic booster, Big Jim Cashman convinced hotelier Tommy Hull that Las Vegas was the perfect place to build his next hotel. Cashman pushed for Hull to build the hotel on Fremont Street. Hull was convinced that Las Vegas was the place to build. But when it came time to build, he bought the property at San Francisco (now Sahara Ave.) and the Los Angeles Highway (now Las Vegas Blvd. South), just over the county line. Why? Because the taxes were lower in the county.

The hotel operated above the Apache Casino and while the owners of the downstairs would change frequently over the years, the upstairs remained the Hotel Apache until the early 1960s.

Western Casino, S.S. Rex and El Dorado Club

The Apache Casino gave way to the new Western Casino which then became the SS Rex when bootlegger Tony Cornero (who had come to Las Vegas in the early 1930s and opened a nite club called the Meadows which had a devasting fire a few years later). He named the casino after one of his gambling boats off the coast of Southern California. When the authorities raided his gambling boats, Cornero came to Las Vegas where gaming was legal. The SS Rex offered craps, faro and other games of chance. In addition, it had a race wire for those who wanted to bet on the ponies.

Dogged by accusations of rigged games, Cornero sold his interest in the Rex and returned to Los Angeles. He would return to Las Vegas in the years ahead. In the meantime, the partners sold the SS Rex and, in 1947, it became the El Dorado Club.

Benny Binion and the Horseshoe Club

In 1951, that larger than life Texan, Benny Binion- having gotten a good taste of gaming in Las Vegas as a partner of Kell Houssels, Sr. bought the El Dorado Club and renamed it the Horseshoe Club.

Breaking with traditional "sawdust joint" interior, Binion installed carpet. The Binion family went to work to make the Horseshoe Club the go to casino on Fremont Street. Wife Teddy Jane handled the books while sons Jack and Tedworked the floor. Benny and Doby "Doc" Cahill were good buddies and could often be found eating the Shoe's famous chili in the coffee shop at lunchtime.

Benny had left Texas, some say under rather hurried circumstances, and there is ample evidence that Benny had been involved in illegal bootlegging, gaming and the mob back in Texas. These connections made it difficult for Binion to get licensed but he finally pulled it off. He offered southern hospitality and high limit gaming and the Horseshoe was doing a land office business when in 1953, the Feds got him for tax problems. Before "he went to college" (the local speak for him doing jail time), Benny sold the Horseshoe to Joe W. Brown. While Binion was in prison, Joe W Brown had his own name put on the facade though everyone knew that when he got released Benny would buy back the Horseshoe.

Benny was away at "college" for four years, and when he returned he bought back the Horseshoe. It wouldn't be until 1964, though, that he owned 100% of it. He removed Joe W. Brown's name from the facade and hired Yesco to design a neon facade for the building. Because of his stint in prison, Benny was never issued a new gaming license but he was understood to be the man in charge of the Horseshoe.

Benny was known to be hard man and did not tolerate cheats. Stories abound of his largesse and of his temper. Just as many stories abound of punishment of those he felt had cheated while playing at the Horseshoe. He was widely known for accepting all bets. He conducted business out of his office, the booth in the Horseshoe restaurant. His recipe for success: "If you wanna get rich, make little people feel like big people... good food cheap, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble. That's all there is to it, son."

In 1970, Benny made news by hosting the first World Series of Poker. Unlike today's tournament, this was a small, but very elite group of poker players who made their living at playing the game professionally. Benny also had a milllion dollars encased in a over-sized horseshoe shape and put it on display. People came from around the world to have their pictures taken standing next to the display.

In 1988, the Binion family bought the Mint and expanded the Horseshoe so that it took up the entire block. Benny passed away on Christmas Day, 1989. Despite all the stories and whispers about him he was honored, along with MoeDalitz, as one of the most philanthropic men of his era.

Jack Binion continued to run the Horseshoe until 1998, when in a dispute with his sister, Becky, he surrendered control of the casino. Jack went to the South and opened Horseshoe Clubs in Shreveport and Tunica as well as in Hammond,Indiana. Becky, unlike her brother, seemed to have little skill at running the Horseshoe. She sold off the Million Dollar Display and finally in 2004, the Horseshoe in bankruptcy, she sold the family business to Harrah's Entertainment. Harrah's had bought Jack Binion's Horseshoe Clubs as well. Harrah's sold the Horseshoe building to MTR Gaming but kept the rights to the Horseshoe Club name. MTR hired Federal Heath Sign Company to redesign the neon facade. Neon designer Brian "Buzz" Leming was the designer and the Horseshoe was rechristened Binion's. While the bullnose on the corner was off, you could see the Hotel Apache facade still there behind it.

Teddy Jane Binion passed away a few years back. Son Ted was the victim of a sensational murder and the subsequent trial made headlines for months. A statue of Benny Binion on horseback stands near the hotel today. The Binion family ranch and house on Bonanza and Rancho is still standing though vacant and boarded up.

Updated on June 27th,2007

It's been announced that MTR Gaming Group, which took over Binion’s in 2004 from Harrah's Entertainment who kept the name Horseshoe, is selling the 55-year-old downtown casino to TLC Casino Enterprises for $32 million in cash. TLC also owns the Four Queens downtown. The deal has to close by the end of the year (though TLC can request a six-month extension). It needs the approval of the Gaming Regulators and the City of Las Vegas.

I think Benny is spinning in his grave. How about you?

Coming up next: Second to Third Street

A Brief History of Fremont Street (cont.)

April 7, 2007

North side of the Street - First to Second Street

First State Bank

This corner was the site of the First State Bank for over fifty years. First State Bank, managed by John S. Parks, the second bank in Las Vegas but, by far, the more successful one. The first one, Las Vegas Bank and Trust Company, was located over in the McWilliams townsite until it moved over to the Clark townsite shortly after the land auction in 1905. It closed its doors later that summer with no loss to depositors.

The First State Bank was originally in Kuhn's Mercantile Store across from the depot on Main Street. Kuhn's carried everything from supplies to sandwiches and lemonade. John Parks realized early on that the bank needed its own location. A wooden structure was built on the eastern corner of First and Fremont, across from the Las Vegas Pharmacy.

Parks also realized that a bank should not only be secure but look secure and promote a feeling of stability for its customers. In 1906, a large, sturdy looking, brick building replaced the wooden structure and First State Bank remained a presence on Fremont Street until the mid-1950s. Pictures from those early days show a large bank lobby with elaborate teller windows, a marble floor and floral displays. According to reports of the day, the walls were built of hollow concrete bricks. The old wooden structure was sold and moved to another location. "You can save if you will only try" was the bank's motto in 1911 and they paid 4% on time deposits. Early tellers included Cyril Wengert whose home on East Charleston is now the Nevada Bar building.

The Birdcage and the Mint Casinos

In the mid-1950s, the First State Bank building was demolished and the bank relocated. The Birdcage Casino was built in its place. The Birdcage only lasted on Fremont Street a few years before being annexed by its next door neighbor, The Mint.

The Mint is truly one of the casinos on Fremont Street that people still miss. Built in 1957 with a tall, pink and white pylon sign designed by Yesco's Kermit Wayne and Hermon Boernge, it was an eye-catcher. The white stripe of lights that raced across the front of the sign and then upward to the heavens to light the starburst at the top made the Mint one of the most photographed icons on Fremont Street. According to Alan Hess, the Yesco designers worked with the architects, Zick and Sharp, on the design of the Mint. The sign was one of the first to exploit the three dimensional sweep of neon on Fremont Street. Under the sign, petrified wood veneered the walls.

**Mint better before annexing Birdcage Casino**

In 1959, the Mint annexed the Birdcage and in its place had the original architects and neon designers design a corner facade that would go with the original building. The arching eyebrow with its white chaser lights quickly became a landmark on Fremont Street masterfully uniting the two buildings.

The Mint had a lounge where my folks saw Johnny Cash perform in the early 1960s for the cover charge of two drinks. They each had two beers. The total $1.00. They say Cash put on a heck of a good show and they became life long fans.

In 1961, developer Del Webb bought the hotel from Milton Prell. In 1965, a 26 story tower was added. The Mint also had a beauty salon for its female guests. The Top o' the Mint, a lounge with a view over-looking Downtown and, back then you could see all the way to the Strip, was a favorite romantic spot for tourists as well as locals. In the mid-1960s, the Mint sponsored the Mint 400 race that started, fittingly enough, in front of the hotel. The final race was held twenty years later. In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the late Hunter S. Thompson wrote about spending the night at the Mint and Lee Marvin and Woody Strode shot at Vegas Vic one night from their hotel rooms.

Along with the 1950s facade of their next door neighbor, the Horseshoe, the two hotels made a "solid block of superb 1950s popular Modernism" says Alan Hess and helped Fremont Street become Glitter Gulch.

In the late-1980s, the Binion family bought the Mint and expanded the Horseshoe to the corner covering over all that iconic signage.

In the middle of the block was Cornell's Family Shoe Store, the original location of Smith and Chandlers Western Wear as well as the original location of Ronzoni's. In the late 1940s, both Smith and Chandlers and Ronzoni's moved further east on Fremont Street to make room for the Savoy Club.

The Boulder Club

Next door was the Boulder Club one of the original gambling halls on Fremont Street and the first to have a neon sign designed, of course, by Yesco. In fact, the signage for the Boulder Club was the first neon sign that Yesco designed and installed in Las Vegas. The Boulder Club, owned by local businessman Pros J. Goumond, opened in 1929. It was a sawdust joint "a working man's hang-out" said local attorney Paul Ralli. The original facade of the Boulder Club, like the Las Vegas Clubacross the street, was simple, Moderne with a hint of chrome. "The glint of chrome emphasized the appealing modern air-conditioning inside" says Alan Hess. Air conditioning came to Las Vegas in the late 1930s and changed the way people lived and played in Las Vegas.

The original Boulder Club signage, designed in 1933 by Yesco was a large vertical sign with a modified zigzag modern crest no more than ten feet above the roofline. The sign had the name in neon letters. After Boulder (Hoover) Dam was dedicated in 1936, the Boulder Club had a new sign designed that included a neon recreation of the Dam's face. It was much bigger than the original, going almost agood story above the roofline and included a marquee neon front.

The Boulder Club offered 10 craps, faro and other games of chance.

In 1946, while stationed in Tonopah, Nebraskan Jackie Gaughan, whose family had gaming interests in Omaha, bought a 3% interest in the Boulder Club thinking he might return to Las Vegas some day. Other partners were Farmer Page and Tudor Scherer.

In 1960, the Boulder Club caught fire and burned. The casino never reopened and the Binion family bought the building and expaned the Horseshoe Club.

Next door to the Boulder Club was The Jackpot. The Jackpot was famous for its sign Home of the 1/2 lb Deli Sandwich. When the Binion family annexed the Boulder Club, the Jackpot was annexed as well.

Special thanks to Alan Hess, Allen Sandquist, Special Collections, Nevada State Museum and KimosVegas for the photos and postcards.

Due to the length of this page, I am going to continue the history of this block on the next page.

A Brief History of Fremont Street

April 6, 2007

The North side of Fremont Street from Main to First

The Overland Hotel and Las Vegas Club

This is the second location of the Las Vegas Club. Before its owners moved to it over here, it was the Overland Hotel. Pictures of the Overland Hotel dating back to 1906 can be found on old postcards and at Special Collections and the Nevada State Museum. John Wisner bought the property at the 1905 land auction for $1,750. (Don't ya wish you had a time machine?) and built the Overland Hotel.

In 1911, the Overland had a devastating fire and burned down. The firefighters lacked equipment except for some fire hoses and a cart. This event was a turning point in the city decided to incorporate later that year.

They rebuilt the Overland bigger and better. It now had a free sample room where traveling salesmen could display their wares. George Foley, Sr recalls a trip to Las Vegas with his father in 1926 when George was just a boy. They stayed at the Overland and George remembers "I looked out the window that night and Fremont Street was only lit by one bare light bulb and I remember feeling very afraid".

The Overland briefly became Frank Donovan's Chatterbox Club as well as the Talk of the Town Bar before, in the late 1940s, Kell Houssels, Sr decided to move the Las Vegas Club across the street, perhaps thinking that the Club might do better being right across Main Street from the Train Depot. The Overland continued as a hotel above the Club. The Overland had a separate neon sign with a train engine that hung above the second floor.

In 1961, Jackie Gaughan and Mel Exber bought the Las Vegas Club and redid the facade, adding much more neon. They also bought out the Overland and the Las Vegas Club became a hotel and a casino.

Next door was a Cut Rate Drugs with a Buy War Bonds sign painted on the side. It became a Sav-Rite Drugs in 1950. The Las Vegas Toggery moved across the street as well, settling in two door east of the Las Vegas Club.

Where the Golden Goose stands today, was originally the State Cafe, one of the most popular places to eat on Fremont Street. It later became Buckley's, a slot joint at 20 Fremont Street. When Buckley's closed it became the Mecca Casino before finally becoming the Golden Goose.

The Glitter Gulch, also currently closed, was originallythe Las Vegas Bar-B-Que. It later became the Copper Grill, then the Golden Slot. The Fortune Club also moved across the street and had a giant neon slot front and cowboy head and took over the Golden Slot lease.

Next door is a Shoe Store and G&G Blowout. G&G Blowout was originally the Dixie Deli. In1952, the Deli closed and Vegas Loans opened. Vegas Loans soon became Ace Loans and resided there until recently.

On the corner of First and Fremont where Mermaids is today, was the first drug store in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Pharmacy. It was owned by the Ferron Family. It was originally a wood structure but that gave way to a large three story brick building with an imposing facade. The facade likely wanted to project the image of security and stability.

The La Bonita Hotel was upstairs above the Pharmacy and the Pioneer Club had a giant neon roof top sign with Vegas Vic's face and a pink arrow pointing to its building across the street.

In 1957, the Pharmacy was torn down and it likely marked the passing of an era to long-time residents. In its place was built the Silver Palace with its pink, gray and blue tile facade and the color scheme was carried out to the sidewalk around the Silver Palace. Today all that is left of that tile can be found under the Soda and Water machines on North First Street.

In the mid-1970s, it became the Gamblers Hall of Fame for about two years until in 1977 changed ownership and became Sundance West. in 1979, it changed hands again and became Sassy Sallie's complete with a high kicking neon cow girl on the roof. Vegas Vic now had a girlfriend, Vegas Vicki.

While the Fremont Street Experience was under construction and before they took Vegas Vicki down, she and Vic were married in a ceremony covered by the local newspapers and news stations. In 1999, Sassy Sallie's became Mermaids home of the deep fried twinkie and long plastic go cups. On North First, just down the block is the old freight elevator for the Silver Palace.

On North First was also the Silver Cafe, owned by the Fong Family, which provided Chinese and American food to sit down customers and small trays of food to the small gambling halls on the block in the 1930s and 1940s. Also down this street were a Leather Shop, Brady's Watch Hospital, Square Deal Loan Co, Backline Sam's Cafe, Reliable Cleaners and Hatters with a neon sign, Log Cabin Bar, Tivoli Tavern, a Chrysler Dealership and the Idle Hour Pool Hall and Cafe.

Special thanks to UNLV's Special Collections, Nevada State Museum, Allen Sandquist and Eric Lynxwiler for the use of photos, postcards and matchbooks on this page.

Coming Up: More History! Fremont Street from First to Second Street

A Brief History of Downtown (cont.)

March 29, 2007

Fourth and Fremont

When I was a kid, there was no better place on Fremont Street than Coronets Five, Dime and 25 cent Store. Trader Bill's was a very close second because of that wonderful smell of leather, but Coronets had toys and games for kids. It may have even had a soda fountain but don't quote me on that until I do some more research.

Coronets stood on the corner of Fourth and Fremont and had a roof top neon sign that was a thing of beauty. Roof top signs were popular on Fremont. The El Portal Theater's only signage for awhile was its roof top sign. The El Cortez had a roof top sign, the Pioneer Club had one (still there but endangered) and the one across the street on the old Las Vegas Pharmacy pointing towards the Pioneer Club.

Next to Coronets was Jerry's Snack Bar which became a Jewelry Store. Next door to that was Orange Julius. Orange Julius drinks were heaven on earth on a hot summer day.

Next to Orange Julius was the Carl Ray Professional Building. This building was built around 1920 with a turquoise front and gold fleck lettering on a sign above the door. Each office upstairs had gold fleck lettering on the windows so that the doctors, dentists and attorneys could advertise their offices.

Next to the Carl Ray Building was Chic Hecht's Store for Women. We didn't have big department stores and certainly no malls until Irwin Molasky built the Boulevard Mall in the mid-1960s, so women who wanted fashionable clothes shopped downtown. My mother bought her second wedding dress at Chic Hecht's.

Next door to Chic Hecht's was Mr. B's. We are still researching Mr. B's. Next door to Mr. B's was Berta's Specialities. This was one of those stores in the 1960s that sold busts of Beethoven and what passed for cultured items to display in your home.

On the corner of Fifth (Las Vegas Blvd) and Fremont was a Chevron Service Station. We had a lot of gas stations in the downtown area and as you will see in the upcoming pages, many of them were on Fremont Street or one of the near by feeder streets.

Before the days of the highway interstate and freeways, Las Vegas Blvd was the main road to travel to Los Angeles or to Salt Lake City, and as luck would have it, it intersected with Fremont Street. Having that main thoroughfare helped turn Fremont Street into Glitter Gulch with all its neon and flicker bulb signage.

Today, where Coronets once stood is today a Walgreens and the Neonopolis Parking Garage.

Where Mr. B's was first a bar called Race Rock and is now the tiki bar, Mickey Finzz.

Where Berta's Specialities and the Chevron Station once stood is now Hennessy's Tavern.

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