Stardust, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1960
The Tomorrowland of Las Vegas is served sandwiched between a water colored sky, parking lot packed with sparkling jewels, knee-high hedge and the Las Vegas Strip where a lonely, low line, ‘53 Ford heads south out of town. By any space age standards the Stardust is deliciously out-of-this-world. Whether it’s architecture as signage or signage as architecture it’s the first example of a land-of-the-giants-scale light show the strip has ever seen. An enormous ½ globe surrounded by a ring of chasing lights is the centerpiece but the strip-side Saturn shaped marquee is the crowning touch. The futuristic font, so stylishly spelling out STARDUST three times, in small, medium and large, is the standard by which all space age fonts are to be measured.
Tomorrowland isn’t the only flavor served up at the Stardust. There is also some Adventurland in mix. An Easter Island Tiki, barely visible in front of the orange stripe on the left, marks the main entrance of a sweet and sour side dish, the Aku Aku, a Polynesian Restaurant extravaganza of the highest order. And speaking of Adventurland let us not forget that Siegfried and Roy, the world’s most famous tiger tamers, were first introduced in Las Vegas on the Stardust stage.
When the mega motel-casino combo opened on June 2, 1958, it was the world’s largest resort and the first in Las Vegas to welcome the masses. By November, 2006 when the doors closed forever it had faded into near oblivion among the bountiful buffet of Las Vegas Strip Casino Resorts.
Early Tuesday morning March 13, 2007, the Stardust really was Stardust – a big, rolling, choking cloud of it. I was there reporting the implosion story for National Public Radio.
Here’s to the Stardust and YOU!
The Stardust, of course, was the real-life location of the events dramatized in the movie, “Casino.” Robert De Niro’s Sam “Ace” Rothstien was modeled after Stardust boss Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. On Saturday nights in the mid-seventies a local TV station broadcast Rosenthal’s show from the Stardust, and all the big-shots appeared on his show.
Until Sam Boyd bought the property in the 1980′s, the Stardust remained the most “mobbed-up” casino in Las Vegas.
When my family moved to Las Vegas in 1974, I remember being amazed by the Stardust sign, which in my opinion was and remained the greatest of all the hotel signs on the strip. Fortunately, the Las Vegas Neon Museum saved the sign when the hotel was closed, and it is now being stored at the Cashman Field parking lot. Hopefully, one day soon, it will be restored to all it’s glory.
First off, ditto everyone’s comments about the Stardust being demolished. Also ditto comments about you, Charles, preserving everyone’s memories of things past. I’ve never been to Vegas, but the Stardust leaving reminds me of when I read about a motel in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that got demolished recently. It was called The College Motel in Houghton, Michigan and it was located not far from Michigan Tech’s campus. I went to look it up on one of the motel web pages for the U.P., and it wasn’t there. Upon further research, I found out it got demolished last November to make way for apartments. I’m going to miss that place even though I never stayed in it. We would pass the neon sign each time on the way to Michigan Tech whenever we had the car to drop off my dad, who worked there as a chemist. In the mornings, the neon sign would be on. I can relate to the loss of the Stardust even though I’ve never been to Vegas. You can Google it by typing in Houghton_Motel.jpg. You rock Charles!
In the infamous words of Dr. Smith, “the pain, oh the pain…”
the last time i was in vegas i spent an evening soaking up the Stardust for the last time. i could smell it coming. anyone who hasn’t been to the Peppermill Lounge (back room bar) should make a beeline before it’s gone too. thanks again Charles for helping us get closure.
hallo i like to join in i like it .thank you.v.m. ben
Yeah, totally sad. And once they’re gone, you can just never get some things back.
RIP Jerry
Hey Charles — love your report on the Stardust to dust implosion for NPR. So sad about the barback, hope he gets a job. I am moving to Las Vegas, and yes it is very sad to see the classic casinos get blown to smithereens. I stayed at the Desert Inn the last night it was open, and stole everything from the posh room that wasn’t nailed down, and I could shove in my suitcase. I use my “magic scale” from the Desert Inn every day. It is magic because it never weighs little ole me at more than 100 lbs. I love it! Anyway, that’s Vegas. The Sahara, the Riviera, the Tropicana, and the New Frontier are all hangin’ in, but not for long. Amazingly enough the original site of the original strip resort — the El Rancho Vegas is still vacant, almost 50 years after it burnt to the ground. Now, that’s ironic, in a town where strip property is so highly prized. The Stardust tower that was imploded was built in 1989, only 18 years old! That kinda freaks me out — that the Vegas shelf life would be so short. Oh well, look at it this way — the tower only got one more year than the barback.
I agree! It always break my heart to see classic examples of true Americana get the axe from modernization. I, too, wish someone had had the foresight to save the signage from the hotel and re0use or refurbish it. 30 years from now will anyone “oh” and “ah” over the significance of New York, NY or the Bellagio? Doubt it.
Ditto everyone’s comment. Sniff.
It’s because of people like Mr. Phoenix that we will have more than our own fading memories of places like this.
I’m glad you’re saving these memories for us.
Oh,Charles, it’s all tooooo sad!!!! Why couldn’t someone see the possibility of redoing the Stardust into a hip, retro, ultra cool pad-like hotel. I’d think that this would’ve gone over really big. We are all into retro and I think all the cool people would have flocked there. I find Vegas one of the most disgusting places but even I would have returned to the Stardust if it had been “made over”. Ah well, even with all it’s history, the mighty buck wins once again. To,to bad! Thanks for the momories.
Pamela
Charles how are you? My very first trip to Vegas when I turned 21 on 9/11/88 was spent at the Stardust. I will never forget how cool I thought I was, playing nickel slots and getting free watered down rum and cokes! I thought I was Dean Martin ! See you soon my friend. I’ll check you out on TV Saturday. That’s awesome!