Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas to be demolished

http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news_2006/011006.htm

Las Vegas To Lose 1958 Hotel

Story by Margaret Foster / Jan. 10, 2006

Chicago
The Stardust Hotel opened in 1958.

Las Vegas will lose another mid-century modern hotel this year.

Last week, the owner of the 1958 Stardust Hotel announced plans to tear down the 1,500-room hotel, which was featured in the 1996 film "Swingers." In its place, Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp. will build a $4 million four-hotel casino complex, the company announced on Jan. 5.

"It's that same Strip-property conundrum," says Andrew Kirk, director of Preserve Nevada. "The land is more valuable than what's on it."

Other famous hotels on the Las Vegas Strip have been cleared for so-called mega-resorts: The famous 1955 Dunes Hotel was demolished for the Bellagio in 1993, and the 1950 Desert Inn was razed five years ago. Although most of the La Concha Motel was torn down last year, a local museum is raising money to move and reconstruct its shell-shaped lobby, designed by African American architect Paul Williams.

The Stardust Hotel's 32-story tower and adjacent nine-story building will be demolished by the end of this year.

It also looks like the Tropicana may be in danger, too. Not to demolishing but a major redevelopment. Hopefully an all tiki resort. Give them a call, Benzart!

FWIW, here's a cross-posted photo, from the Mondo Tiki 2003 pictures thread.

I've always been grateful and a little incredulous that this sign has still been there the last few years (along with the building itself), but I guess all good things must come to an end. Whoever came up with that saying should get kicked in the pants.

-Randy

Just got back from the Stardust after two years and the small display featuring memorobilia from the Aku Aku was gone, replaced by slot machines. Nobody at the front desk had any idea such a display ever existed. I also learned that all vintage casinos north of the Fashion Show mall including the Frontier, Stardust, Westward-Ho and Circus Circus have been purchased by some uber-corporation and will face the wrecking ball within the next few years.

Bastards. Probably gonna be torn down for some dopey ultralounge hotels or some such nonesense.

That is really sad about the Stardust. That was the first hotel I stayed at in Vegas prior to ALL the mega-bigger-is-better hotels.

Las Vegas may be losing over a thousand hotel rooms as not only the Stardust, but the Frontier and other older properties are torn down and/or remolded.

This could very well result in an increase in hotel prices.

There is also the risk that the "W" as well as other high-end hotels are setting the benchmark for room rates, and all other properties will raise the rates accordingly, particularly as many of the properites are owned by the same corp, MGM Mirage.

On 2006-03-15 19:40, BryanDeanMartin wrote:
Bastards. Probably gonna be torn down for some dopey ultralounge hotels or some such nonesense.

The Stardust will torn down and become Echelon Resort still owned by Boyd Gaming.

The CircusCircus is still safe for now, I'm sure MGM won't give up that property any time soon being their only space on the north Strip

[ Edited by: johnnievelour 2006-03-20 23:09 ]