By the 1970s, Fremont Street had developed a rhythm of its own — a cadence between past and future, where the ghosts of The Mob lingered beside the hum of neon. The El Cortez remained a steadfast anchor, while around it, downtown pulsed with the tentative energy of reinvention. The street was narrower than the Strip, but it had personality in abundance. Signs blinked in … Continue reading Downtown in the Seventies
Chapter 4 of our El Cortez Spotlight series When Jackie Gaughan arrived in Las Vegas in the early 1960s, Fremont Street was a street caught between memory and ambition. The Strip was rising fast to the south, promising fountains, fountains, and even more fountains, but downtown remained the beating heart of the city’s older rhythm. The El Cortez, already decades old, was quietly waiting for … Continue reading Jackie’s Kingdom
By 1947, Fremont Street was beginning to hum with a different kind of electricity. The mob’s fingerprints were everywhere, but the town itself was still small enough that everyone knew the bartender’s name — and probably what he owed in poker losses. The desert wind carried the smell of dust, diesel, and perfume. From above, the street must have looked like a glowing fuse, inching … Continue reading El Cortez – Fremont’s Flicker
The Imperial Palace was originally opened as the Flamingo Capri in 1959 as a 180-room motel. Ralph Engelstad purchased the property in 1971, added a casino in 1972, and renamed it the Imperial Palace in 1979 when a new casino facility opened. Engelstad expanded the resort with additional hotel towers from 1982 to 1987, making it one of the largest hotels in the world with … Continue reading The Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
Chapter 3 of our El Cortez Spotlight series By the mid-1940s, El Cortez had become a tidy little cash machine on Fremont Street, attracting both curious travelers and the kind of men who didn’t like to explain where their money came from. The war had ended, soldiers were returning home, and Las Vegas was poised for a kind of rebirth -one that would shimmer under … Continue reading El Cortez: The Mob Arrives
On January 1, 1992, the property was reborn as Casino Royale, under the ownership of the Elardi family (who also owned the Frontier at the time). They bought the former Nob Hill and adjacent hotel for about US$17 million. Continue reading Casino Royale Hotel & Casino
Once rebranded, the property embarked on an expansion spree. Between 1982 and 1987, Engelstad added multiple hotel towers and additional casino space, boosting room count to about 2,637.
Its theme was unusual at the time, capturing visitors with value-oriented room rates and a unique look compared to the mega-resorts. The resort also introduced interesting attractions — notably the large car museum known as “The Auto Collections”, which opened in 1981.
Part 1 of our El Cortez Spotlight series Before Las Vegas had a skyline, it had a railroad stop, a few bars, and a stubborn belief that anything could grow in sand. The year was 1905, and the town existed mainly because trains needed a place to pause between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. When the locomotives stopped, dust rose; when they left, silence … Continue reading Fremont Street Before the Glitter
Exploring the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino: A Gem in the Heart of Las Vegas When one thinks of Las Vegas, images of dazzling lights, lively entertainment, and the thrill of chance often come to mind. Nestled in the heart of this vibrant city is the iconic **Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino**, a venue that not only captures the essence of Las Vegas but also … Continue reading Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
There are newer casinos in Las Vegas, and there are bigger ones, flashier ones, ones with Italian fountains and synchronized volcanoes. But there is only one El Cortez =and it smells like nothing else on earth. Step through the glass doors on Fremont Street and you enter a small tornado of perfumes: the faint metallic whiff of old coins, a drift of disinfectant, the sweetness … Continue reading El Cortez: The Smell of History
Vegas and Paradise 
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