1946 : Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel
On December 26, 1946, in Las Vegas, Nevada, mobster Benjamin "Bugsy"
Siegel opens The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a total cost of $6
million. The 40-acre facility wasn't complete and Siegel was hoping to
raise some revenue with the grand opening.
Well-known singer and comedian Jimmy Durante headlined the
entertainment, with music by Cuban band leader Xavier Cugat. Some of
Siegel's Hollywood friends, including actors George Raft, George
Sanders, Sonny Tufts and George Jessel were in attendance.
The grand opening, however, was a flop. Bad weather kept many other
Hollywood guests from arriving. And because gamblers had no rooms at
the hotel, they took their winnings and gambled elsewhere. The casino
lost $300,000 in the first week of operation.
Siegel and his New York "partners" had invested $1 million in a
property already under construction by Billy Wilkerson, owner of the
Hollywood Reporter as well as some very popular nightclubs in the
Sunset Strip. Wilkerson had wanted to recreate the Sunset Strip in Las
Vegas, with a European style hotel with luxuious rooms, a spa, health
club, showroom, golf course, nightclub and upscale restaurant. But he
soon ran out of money due to the high cost of materials immediately
after the war.
Siegel, who held a largest interest in the racing publication Trans
America Wire, was drawn to Las Vegas in 1945 by his interest in
legalized gambling and off-track betting. He purchased The El Cortez
hotel for $600,000 and later sold it for a $166,000 profit.
Siegel and his organized crime buddies used the profits to influence
Wilkerson to accept new partners. Siegel took over the project and
supervised the building, naming it after his girlfriend Virginia Hill,
whose nickname was "The Flamingo" because of her red hair and long
legs.
Two weeks after the grand opening, the Flamingo closed down. It
re-opened March 1, 1947, as The Fabulous Flamingo. Siegel forced
Wilkerson out in April, and by May, the resort reported a profit, but
it wasn't enough to save Siegel.
Convinced that Siegel wasn't giving them a "square count," it is
widely believed that his partners in organized crime had him killed
while he was reading the paper June 20, 1947, at Hill's Beverly Hills
mansion. Hill was in Paris, having flown the coop after a fight with
Siegel 10 days prior. The crime remains unsolved to this day.
Surviving a series of name and ownership changes, the hotel is known
today as The Flamingo Las Vegas, owned and operated by Harrah's
Entertainment. The property offers 3,626 hotel rooms and a
77,000-square-foot casino.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1946 : Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=57342
1908 : Jack Johnson wins heavyweight title
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5630
1941 : Churchill addresses Congress
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5631
1966 : The first Kwanzaa
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5632
2004 : Tsunami wreaks havoc on Southeast Asia
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7123
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On December 26, 1946, in Las Vegas, Nevada, mobster Benjamin "Bugsy"
Siegel opens The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a total cost of $6
million. The 40-acre facility wasn't complete and Siegel was hoping to
raise some revenue with the grand opening.
Well-known singer and comedian Jimmy Durante headlined the
entertainment, with music by Cuban band leader Xavier Cugat. Some of
Siegel's Hollywood friends, including actors George Raft, George
Sanders, Sonny Tufts and George Jessel were in attendance.
The grand opening, however, was a flop. Bad weather kept many other
Hollywood guests from arriving. And because gamblers had no rooms at
the hotel, they took their winnings and gambled elsewhere. The casino
lost $300,000 in the first week of operation.
Siegel and his New York "partners" had invested $1 million in a
property already under construction by Billy Wilkerson, owner of the
Hollywood Reporter as well as some very popular nightclubs in the
Sunset Strip. Wilkerson had wanted to recreate the Sunset Strip in Las
Vegas, with a European style hotel with luxuious rooms, a spa, health
club, showroom, golf course, nightclub and upscale restaurant. But he
soon ran out of money due to the high cost of materials immediately
after the war.
Siegel, who held a largest interest in the racing publication Trans
America Wire, was drawn to Las Vegas in 1945 by his interest in
legalized gambling and off-track betting. He purchased The El Cortez
hotel for $600,000 and later sold it for a $166,000 profit.
Siegel and his organized crime buddies used the profits to influence
Wilkerson to accept new partners. Siegel took over the project and
supervised the building, naming it after his girlfriend Virginia Hill,
whose nickname was "The Flamingo" because of her red hair and long
legs.
Two weeks after the grand opening, the Flamingo closed down. It
re-opened March 1, 1947, as The Fabulous Flamingo. Siegel forced
Wilkerson out in April, and by May, the resort reported a profit, but
it wasn't enough to save Siegel.
Convinced that Siegel wasn't giving them a "square count," it is
widely believed that his partners in organized crime had him killed
while he was reading the paper June 20, 1947, at Hill's Beverly Hills
mansion. Hill was in Paris, having flown the coop after a fight with
Siegel 10 days prior. The crime remains unsolved to this day.
Surviving a series of name and ownership changes, the hotel is known
today as The Flamingo Las Vegas, owned and operated by Harrah's
Entertainment. The property offers 3,626 hotel rooms and a
77,000-square-foot casino.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1946 : Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=57342
1908 : Jack Johnson wins heavyweight title
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5630
1941 : Churchill addresses Congress
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5631
1966 : The first Kwanzaa
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5632
2004 : Tsunami wreaks havoc on Southeast Asia
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7123
#########################################
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