The Mint Las Vegas

Last updated
The Mint
Las Vegas - Mint.jpg
Map of Downtown Las Vegas and surroundings.png
Red pog.svg
USA Nevada location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Address 100 Fremont Street
Opening dateJuly 12, 1957 [1]
Closing dateJuly 1, 1988;35 years ago (1988-07-01) [2]
No. of rooms300
Casino typeLand-based
OwnerDel Webb
Architect Zick & Sharp (casino), Yesco (neon sign), Martin Stern (hotel tower)
Renovated in1965

The Mint Las Vegas was a hotel and casino in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.

Contents

The Mint was the sponsor of the Mint 400, the largest off road race from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.

The Mint was made famous (or infamous) as the first night's stay in Hunter S. Thompson and Oscar Acosta's legendary 1971 weekend trip to Las Vegas, immortalized in Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

History

The Mint opened July 12, 1957. [3] The four major owners were Milton Prell, Al Winter, L.B. “Tutor” Scherer, and J.D. “Joe” Hall, and the first general manager was Sam Boyd. [4] Architects for the building were Walter Zick and Harris Sharp. The Mint’s neon sign was designed by Ed Harris of Zick & Sharp in collaboration with Young Electric Sign Co. [5]

The Mint and Sahara Hotel owners created the Sahara-Nevada Corp for a merger with the Del Webb Corporation in 1961. Sahara-Nevada Corp. announced plans for a 22-story hotel skyscraper addition to the Mint in 1962. The addition was expected to be completed within 16 months, at a cost of $5 million. The addition would be built on the Mint's north parking lot and was to include 300 additional hotel rooms and suites. A six-story, 210,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) parking garage would be connected to the new hotel building and would include more than 550 parking spaces. [6] [7] In May 1962, the city planned to review the permit for the new tower. [8] A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the tower in July 1962. [9]

Construction was still ongoing in July 1964, at which point the tower was planned to include 24 floors. [10] Construction reached the 24th floor at the end of the year, with plans for an additional four floors. [11] The hotel tower was ultimately built with 26 stories, and was topped out on March 20, 1965, with plans to open later that month. [12] The new tower stood 290 ft (88 m), and was one of the tallest buildings in the state at the time, ranking only behind The Landmark Hotel and Casino, which stood 297 ft (91 m). [13] [14] Renovations were also done to the existing building, which included work to the Merri Mint Theatre, and expanded dining areas. [12]

In 1988, The Mint was sold and became part of Binion's Horseshoe.

Shows

Patsy Cline performed at the Mint Casino's "Merri-Mint Theater" from November 23 - December 28, 1962, three months before her fatal plane crash. She appeared with Tompall & the Glaser Brothers, and at one point developed "Vegas Throat" due to the dry desert heat. For several shows, Cline lip-synched to her records.[ citation needed ] Kitty Wells followed Patsy into The Mint. The Wilburn Brothers, with Loretta Lynn as part of their act, played the Merri-Mint for a couple of nights in October 1962. Tompall & the Glaser Brothers were also headliners at The Mint for six weeks from May to June 1963. [15]

According to author Larry Jordan, in his book "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story," Reeves also played at the Mint Casino in the early-1960s. Peter Urquidi, "Man of Many Sounds", played the Top of the Mint for more than a decade until the early-1970s. Upstairs in the lounge was the Johnny Elvis Foster show For The Love Of Elvis. The Memphis Sound also played at the Mint. Sidney Fields of Abbott and Costello fame appeared on the same bill in a comedy act.[ citation needed ]

Film history

The Mint's casino appears in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas and in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever . The Mint's building can be seen in the background toward the end of the 1984 film Starman . It can also be seen in the background of the 1968 film They Came to Rob Las Vegas . The casino can also be seen several times towards the end of the 1987 U2 music video "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", which was filmed entirely on Fremont Street.

A computer-generated reconstruction of the casino can be seen in the 1998 film Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas .[ citation needed ] A casino in Tunica, Mississippi was used to depict the Mint in the 2005 film Walk the Line . [16] The Mint is also seen in music videos by Panic! at the Disco from their 2013 album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! and also featured in Father John Misty's video for "Mr. Tillman". [17]

Television history

In the 1975 episode of Kojak titled "A House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves", a sniper shoots a witness who Kojak has arrested from a room at the Mint. The hotel building can also be seen in the closing credits of the ABC television show Vega$ (1978-1981), which starred Robert Urich. The Mint is also a backdrop in Crime Story (1980's) season 2 episode 18, a sniper shoots at a witness being held to testify against organized crime in Las Vegas.

The Mint was featured in an episode of Ghost Adventures entitled Binion's Hotel and Casino where they investigated claims of paranormal activity and full-bodied apparitions inside the 25-story tower, which has been sealed off since its closing.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Strip</span> 4 mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard with many resorts, shows, and casinos

The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about 4.2 mi (6.8 km) long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester, but is often referred to simply as "Las Vegas".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus Circus Las Vegas</span> Hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip

Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapeze acts, as well as carnival games, at its Carnival Midway. The resort also includes the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stardust Resort and Casino</span> Defunct casino hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Stardust Resort and Casino was a casino resort located on 60 acres (24 ha) along the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The Stardust was conceived by Tony Cornero, and construction began in 1954. Cornero died in 1955, and the project was taken over by his brother. The Stardust had numerous creditors, and construction was stopped in 1956, when the project ran out of money.

The Hacienda was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from 1956 to 1996. It was opened by Warren Bayley, who owned other Hacienda properties in California as well. Bayley opened the hotel portion in June 1956, although the opening of the casino was delayed as the Nevada Gaming Control Board objected to his choice of casino manager, Jake Kozloff. The casino portion eventually opened on October 17, 1956. The $6 million property had 266 rooms and the largest pool on the Las Vegas Strip. Like its sister properties in California, the resort included a neon sign that depicted a cowboy riding a palomino horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Nugget Las Vegas</span> Hotel casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Golden Nugget Las Vegas is a luxury hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. The property is owned and operated by Landry's, Inc. It has 2,419 hotel rooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunes (hotel and casino)</span> Former Las Vegas, NV hotel and casino

The Dunes was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It opened on May 23, 1955, as the tenth resort on the Strip. It was initially owned by a group of businessmen from out of state, but failed to prosper under their management. It also opened at a time of decreased tourism, while the Strip was simultaneously becoming overbuilt with hotel rooms. A few months after the opening, management was taken over by the operators of the Sands resort, also on the Strip. This group failed to improve business and relinquished control less than six months later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark (hotel and casino)</span> Former casino hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Landmark was a hotel and casino located in Winchester, Nevada, east of the Las Vegas Strip and across from the Las Vegas Convention Center. The resort included a 31-floor tower, inspired by the design of the Space Needle tower in Seattle. Frank Caroll, the project's original owner, purchased the property in 1961. Fremont Construction began work on the tower that September, while Caroll opened the adjacent Landmark Plaza shopping center and Landmark Apartments by the end of the year. The tower's completion was expected for early 1963, but because of a lack of financing, construction was stopped in 1962, with the resort approximately 80 percent complete. Up to 1969, the topped-off tower was the tallest building in Nevada until the completion of the International Hotel across the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Frontier Hotel and Casino</span> Former hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada

The New Frontier was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The property began as a casino and dance club known as Pair O' Dice, opened in 1931. It was sold in 1941, and incorporated into the Hotel Last Frontier, which began construction at the end of the year. The Hotel Last Frontier opened on October 30, 1942, as the second resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The western-themed property included 105 rooms, as well as the Little Church of the West. The resort was devised by R.E. Griffith and designed by his nephew, William J. Moore. Following Griffith's death in 1943, Moore took over ownership and added a western village in 1948. The village consisted of authentic Old West buildings from a collector, and would also feature the newly built Silver Slipper casino, added in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Rancho Vegas</span> Hotel and casino in Nevada, United States

El Rancho Vegas was a hotel and casino at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It opened in 1941, as the first resort on the Strip, known then as part of Highway 91. It was located at what is now the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. The El Rancho Vegas was conceived by Thomas Hull, who owned several hotels in California and wanted to expand his operations to Las Vegas. He decided to build his new resort along Highway 91, on desert land located just outside of city limits. Hull intended to target motorists traveling from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, although his remote location was met with skepticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahara Las Vegas</span> Casino hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada

Sahara Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Meruelo Group. The hotel has 1,616 rooms, and the casino contains 50,662 square feet (4,706.7 m2). The Sahara anchors the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, at the corner of Sahara Avenue. It is the site of the northernmost station of the Las Vegas Monorail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Las Vegas</span> Human settlement in United States

Downtown Las Vegas is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the original townsite, and the Downtown gaming area was the primary gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the Strip. As the urban core of the Las Vegas Valley, it features a variety of hotel and business highrises, cultural centers, historical buildings and government institutions, as well as residential and retail developments. Downtown is located in the center of the Las Vegas Valley and just north of the Las Vegas Strip, centered on Fremont Street, the Fremont Street Experience and Fremont East. The city defines the area as bounded by I-15 on the west, Washington Avenue on the north, Maryland Parkway on the east and Sahara Avenue on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate Hotel and Casino</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino is located at One Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. A part of the Fremont Street Experience, it is the oldest and smallest hotel on the Fremont Street Experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Street</span> Thoroughfare in Las Vegas, United States

Fremont Street is a street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada that is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas Valley – and Nevada – besides the Las Vegas Strip. Named in honor of explorer and politician John C. Frémont and located in the heart of the downtown casino corridor, Fremont Street is today, or was, the address for many famous casinos such as Binion's Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, Golden Nugget, Four Queens, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Queens</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

The Four Queens Hotel and Casino is located in downtown Las Vegas on the Fremont Street Experience. The 690-room hotel and 27,269 sq ft (2,533.4 m2) casino is owned and operated by TLC Casino Enterprises, which acquired the property from the Elsinore Corporation in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Club</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

Las Vegas Club was a hotel and casino located on the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The Las Vegas Club opened in 1930, joining the Las Vegas Hotel which had opened in 1908. The Las Vegas Club was relocated across the street in 1949. At its new location, the Las Vegas Club operated within the Overland Hotel, which was established in 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allure Las Vegas</span> Residential in Las Vegas, Nevada

Allure Las Vegas is a condominium tower in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 41-story, 466 ft (142 m) tower was built between 2005 and 2007 and was designed by EDI Architecture. Construction was managed by Bovis Lend Lease.

The El Rancho Hotel and Casino was a hotel and casino that operated on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It originally opened on September 2, 1948, as the Navajo-themed Thunderbird. At the time, it was owned by building developer Marion Hicks and Lieutenant Governor of Nevada Clifford A. Jones. A sister property, the Algiers Hotel, was opened south of the Thuderbird in 1953. During the mid-1950s, the state carried out an investigation to determine whether underworld Mafia figures held hidden interests in the resort. Hicks and Jones ultimately prevailed and kept their gaming licenses. Hicks died in 1961, and his position as managing director was taken over by Joe Wells, another partner in the resort. Wells added a horse racing track known as Thunderbird Downs, located behind the resort. The Thunderbird also hosted numerous entertainers and shows, including Flower Drum Song and South Pacific.

The Aladdin was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Toy manufacturer Edwin S. Lowe originally opened the 450-room Tallyho Hotel on the property in 1962. The Tallyho was the only major hotel in Nevada to not include a casino; it closed at the end of the year and was sold to Kings Crown Inns of America, a hotel chain which reopened the property a month later as the King's Crown Tallyho. The company added a casino and showroom but plans to open the casino were halted when the Nevada Gaming Control Board declined to issue a gambling license because of concerns about the resort being inadequately financed.

References

  1. ↑ "The Mint, 1957". Vintage Las Vegas. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  2. ↑ "Gaming History - Week of June 28, 2009". 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  3. ↑ "The Mint, 1957". Vintage Las Vegas. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  4. ↑ "Mint Club in Gala Opening on Fremont". Las Vegas Review Journal. July 14, 1957.
  5. ↑ "The Mint, 1957". Vintage Las Vegas. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  6. ↑ "Skyscraper Hotel To Be Erected (page one)" . Las Vegas Sun. April 7, 1962. Retrieved December 14, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  7. ↑ "Skyscraper Hotel To Be Erected (page two)" . Las Vegas Sun. April 7, 1962. Retrieved December 14, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  8. ↑ "City to Review Permit For Mint Tower" . Las Vegas Sun. May 9, 1962. Retrieved December 14, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  9. ↑ "Mint Goes Up 22 Stories On Fremont St" . Las Vegas Sun. July 22, 1962. Retrieved December 14, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  10. ↑ Wade, Dell (July 26, 1964). "Parade of Progress" . Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 14, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  11. ↑ Wade, Dell (January 3, 1965). "Year of Progress, Recession, Plans". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 8, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  12. 1 2 "New Mint Hotel 'Topped Off'". Las Vegas Sun. March 21, 1965. Retrieved December 8, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  13. ↑ Barrows, Jim (May 18, 1966). "Landmark Tower May Finally Have Owner". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 8, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  14. ↑ "Landmark Tower Talk in Progress". Las Vegas Sun. May 26, 1966. Retrieved December 8, 2017– via NewspaperArchive.com.
  15. ↑ Sachs, Bill (June 15, 1963). "Country Music Corner". Billboard. p. 18. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  16. ↑ Willman, Chris (November 18, 2005). "Walk the Line: Joaquin and Reese on their risky duet". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Watch Father John Misty's Dark and Dreamlike "Mr. Tillman" Video". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-09-03.

36°10′17″N115°08′41″W / 36.1715°N 115.1446°W / 36.1715; -115.1446

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.