Historic Preservation on the Vegas Strip*

*Or rather, lack thereof

Let's face it: Vegas is one of the most artificial places in the world. Jackie mentioned some benefits and problems with a replica art museum in "You're a Phooooney!" but where Vegas shines is replica architecture. Of the hotel/casinos on the Vegas Strip, the oldest still running is technically the Flamingo, opened in 1946, but renovations have removed every part that predates the 1970s. In a similar way, most of the old hotel/casinos from the oldest days of Vegas have been renovated or demolished to make way for new, more profitable projects (or often projects that were cancelled or remain unfinished...like the $3 billion Fontainebleau Resort). The casinos often have a schtick regarding their architecture, like Caesars Palace having Roman architecture, the Venetian having water canals like Venice, Circus Circus...well, you get the idea from the names.

The *inside* of the Venetian.

Caesars Palace. Note the art on the
ceiling and walls.

I suppose one question that needs to be asked is if this architecture is worth saving. I would argue yes, as even though it's mostly modeled after architecture preserved elsewhere, it's still unique that such a wide variety came together on one street. And that such effort was put into a theme that many people notice only briefly before frying their eyes staring at slot machines the rest of the day! A lot of the art inside the casinos is very high quality; art in its own right. But despite this, only a few groups exist attempting to preserve this history. One example, the Neon Museum, preserves the famous neon signs of defunct casinos and uses the former La Concha Motel lobby (a product of Paul Williams, one of America's first prominent African-American architects) as its visitor's center.

Hotel Last Frontier, 2nd built on the Strip. Pic from late-1940s.

And that leads into another point: these hotel/casinos hold a lot of history within them. Take for example the Hotel Last Frontier. It opened in 1942 and ran continuously until 2007, when it was demolished to make room for a new casino resort. This small site, in 1956, was the location of Elvis Presley's first Vegas appearance, among other things. Is it worth trying or even possible to save entire buildings on such a lucrative piece of land as the Strip? Maybe the only way to save anything is to remove the iconic pieces and let the site be changed.