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THE STARDUST Hotel and Casino 1958-2007
The Stardust Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas opened the same year I
graduated from high school. I didn't make it to the Stardust in Las
Vegas until ten years later. I arrived at the hotel in the Spring of
1968 during a sudden downpour with water running everywhere. I
thought it was a strange omen of some sort that I would arrive in
the desert from my native Oklahoma during a flash flood. A little
over 20 minutes past 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, March 13th, the
end of an era in Las Vegas came crashing down in a demolition job
that included huge crowds, bands, speeches and lots of fireworks.
It was a fitting end to a time in Las Vegas that was romantic but
not all fun and games as the Mob had a huge operation there in an
open city that sometimes hid the underlying violence that comes with
huge amounts of money and greed for territorial control. This is
the second in a series of shows we will be doing on Las Vegas
history. We have other sections, namely a series of shows on the rat
pack and the Sands Hotel which met a similar downfall as the
Stardust, a controlled demolition now over ten years ago.
We will be adding our hour dedicated to an over view of this event
and a look back at the history sometime on Wednesday. The show will
be worth your time listening to it, especially if you are as
fascinated with the sin city ambiance as I am. We have linked to
KLAS-TV's coverage of this morning's event so you can watch more of
the end of an era of a Las Vegas that will never again be like it
was in those mobbed fun filled glory days of old.
Glen Pitts has created a slide show showing the visual history of
the Stardust and it is set to the music ...the old standard
Stardust. We picked Nat King Cole's version because of the
irony. Cole like Sammy Davis, Jr.,The Mills Brothers, and others
played Vegas but they couldn't sleep or eat in the hotels where they
appeared for many years. Finally in the early 60s, Frank Sinatra
put his power to a test and was able to break the color barrier for
fellow rat packer, Davis, Jr.
The Vegas landscape has changed indeed, not only can blacks go
freely there, but this Vegas of the 2lst Century is truly an
international city with all creeds, nationalities, and religions
welcomed... the modern Vegas has finally realized money knows no
color, no creed, no prejudice and money is what makes this town
operate, 24/7.
In place of the Stardust will be a modern village of urban delight
with condos, specialty stores and entertainment everywhere, just as
the skyscraper condos are rising from the desert floor on the strip,
out west of town and downtown, the new Vegas is there offering
tourists around the world a little special entertainment for their
own memories. Speaking of memories, don't mind me, I have to wipe a
tear from my eye as I fondly remember the golden days of this town.
Jerry Pippin
3-13-07
Dr. Michael Green
Las Vegas - 100 Years of Colorful History - Jerry visits with Dr.
Michael Green, a well known and respected historian, about the
history of Las Vegas. May 15, 2005 is the official one hundred year
anniversary for Las Vegas. In this hour-long interview Dr. Green
tells Jerry about many of the colorful characters and events that
have made Las Vegas known around the world for its entertainment
leisure activities.
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A little over a year ago, a Las Vegas
Landmark was imploded in a demolition. A year later plans
are going full speed on renovating the land where the
Stardust Casino was located. Boyd Properties expects to
have its new four billion dollar resort open by 2010. The
development, Echelon Place, will be built on a 63-acre site
on the Las Vegas Strip, the company said. It will include
four hotels featuring 5,300 guest rooms and suites. Shopping
Centers and even luxury condos are included in the plan
which will basically cover the land where the Stardust
Casino was located. 
