Moulin Rouge, The Historic West Las Vegas Hotel and Casino Obtains New Funding For Restoration
From yesterday’s Review Journal: “Moulin Rouge gets help, Developer found to help revival of Bonanza Road hotel”
Wikipedia’s got some good history of the Moulin Rouge:
The Moulin Rouge opened on May 24, 1955, built at a cost of $3.5 million. It was the first integrated hotel casino in Las Vegas, perhaps in the nation. Until that time almost all of the casinos on The Strip were totally segregated—off limits to blacks unless they were the entertainment or labor force.
The hotel was located in west Las Vegas, where the black population was forced to live. West Las Vegas was bounded by Washington Avenue on the north, Bonanza Road on the south, H Street on the west, and A Street on the east.
It was during this era that Will Max Schwartz saw the need for an integrated hotel. Will, along with other investors, including boxing great Joe Louis, built and opened the Moulin Rouge at 900 W. Bonanza Road. This placed it in a prime location between the predominantly white area of the strip and the largely black west side. The complex itself consisted of two stuccoed buildings that housed the hotel, the casino, and a theater. The exterior had the hotel’s name in stylized cursive writing and murals depicting dancing and fancy cars. The sign was designed by Betty Willis, creator of the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign on the south end of the strip.
Read the rest of the Wikepedia entry.
