Jacobson, helped arrange financing for construction, which was handled by Del E. Real estate developer Del Webb and his top executive, L. Boyd invested in the Sahara to become an owner and partner. Boyd had previously operated a bingo game for Winter in Oregon. Winter, a co-owner of Club Bingo, recruited Sam Boyd to be a partner in the new Sahara project. At the time, the project was expected to cost $2 million. The site was considered ideal for the new resort because it was located just outside of city limits, allowing Prell and business partner Al Winter to avoid paying taxes on slot machines and property. Plans were simultaneously announced for a 200-room hotel project that would be built on the land. In July 1951, Close announced he had sold the remaining land for $225,000 to the Club Bingo owners. In early 1951, Prell gathered several former business partners to begin work on a hotel-casino project that would become the Sahara. Prell briefly considered adding a small hotel and a village of adobe buildings to the Club Bingo property, but he decided against the idea because it did not fit in with his ultimate vision of a luxury hotel. The Club Bingo building was considered basic, with the exception of an electric bingo board sign on top. Irwin eventually became the entertainment director for Club Bingo. Entertainers included singer Dorothy Dandridge and comedian Stan Irwin. Club Bingo included a 300-seat bingo parlor as well as the Bonanza Room, which provided food and entertainment. Ĭlub Bingo opened on July 24, 1947, on 4 acres of the 19-acre property, and it quickly became a success. Prell opened Club Bingo with Frank Schivo, who previously worked at the 30 Club.
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Remembering how successful his earlier casino club had been, Prell opened the similar Club Bingo in Las Vegas before building a full hotel-casino. Prell and his family then moved to Las Vegas in 1945, with the intention of opening a small hotel. Club Bingo owner Milton Prell had previously opened the 30 Club in Butte, Montana. Close (1900–1974) purchased a 19-acre property on what would become the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. The SLS was renamed Sahara Las Vegas on August 29, 2019, as part of an ongoing renovation by Meruelo.īefore the Sahara was built, an earlier casino had operated on the site as Club Bingo. The SLS was sold to Meruelo Group in 2018, and the W Las Vegas became part of the SLS again after the resort ended its relationship with Starwood. One of the hotel towers was rebranded the following year as W Las Vegas, managed by Starwood as part of its W Hotels chain. The SLS experienced financial hardships after its opening, and Nazarian sold his stake to Stockbridge in 2015. SLS Las Vegas featured a chic and modern design, and was targeted at southern California residents. In 2013, Nazarian began a complete renovation of the resort before reopening it as the SLS Las Vegas on August 23, 2014, as part of SBE's chain of SLS hotels. The Sahara was closed on May 16, 2011, as it was no longer considered economically viable. Sam Nazarian's SBE Entertainment Group, along with Stockbridge Real Estate Group, purchased the Sahara in 2007. Bennett's renovation also added a NASCAR-themed attraction that included a restaurant and a roller coaster known as Speed – The Ride. Lowden sold the Sahara to Bill Bennett in 1995, and Bennett launched a $100 million renovation of the resort that included a Moroccan theme. Paul Lowden purchased the Sahara in 1982, and a third hotel tower was added in 1988. The Sahara began to decline in the 1960s with the opening of several large resorts nearby. The Sahara was sold to Del Webb in 1961, and a 24-story hotel tower, also designed by Stern, was opened in 1963. designed several hotel additions for the Sahara, including a 14-story tower that opened in 1960. Webb Construction Company built the Sahara, which opened on October 7, 1952, as the sixth resort on the Las Vegas Strip. In 1951, he gathered former business partners to begin work on the Sahara, which was built on the land partially occupied by Club Bingo. Originally, Milton Prell opened the Club Bingo casino on the site in 1947. The resort initially operated under the Sahara name from 1952 to 2011. It is the site of the northernmost station of the Las Vegas Monorail. The Sahara anchors the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, at the corner of Sahara Avenue. The hotel has 1,616 rooms, and the casino contains 50,662 square feet (4,706.7 m 2). It is owned and operated by the Meruelo Group. Sahara Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada.