The Royal Nevada

The eighth resort on the Strip

“Royal Nevada Group Say Three ‘Undesirables’ Out of Hotel!” exclaimed the article on the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on March 1, 1955. The article went on to explain that Florida attorney Herman Kohen, a partner in the lavish Royal Nevada Hotel, told the tax commission that financier Frank Fishman, and gamblers Herbert Manheim and Sam Miller “are out unequivocally, without reservation and permanently.”

In February, the tax commission had labeled the three as “undesirable” as Nevada gambling license holders; the Royal Nevada would not receive a license unless the three were bought out.

Kohen then explained to the commission that Manheim and Miller had been bought out completely. Fishman, however, wanted another $200,000 from the remaining partners. As the leaseholder, he was holding notes in that amount. The notes however, were intended to be paid back after 10 years. Kohen told the commission that if forced to pay that debenture to Fishman, he would be getting $290,000 out of the venture…but had only put in $90,000. Besides, the remaining partners didn’t have the money.

The Opening

Apparently the problems were taken care of, and on the evening of April 18, 1955, the Royal Nevada hosted a pre-opening party for soldiers from the Nevada atomic testing grounds. On April 19, 1955, the Royal Nevada formally opened for business, with 250 rooms. The soldiers were in evidence again, this time assisting in one of the opening ceremonies…a showgirl dropped the key to the Hotel’s door down the barrel of a cannon, and the soldiers set the cannon off, shooting the key into the desert sky. The headline entertainer on opening night was opera star “Queen of the Met” Helen Traubel, singing in the hotel’s beautiful Crown Room.

The Hotel itself had a central structure, which was topped by a large neon trimmed crown. A gracefully curved low-rise wing flared out from each side of the structure. On the front of the structure was a fountain-like sculpture, formed from curved neon tubing. Inside the Hotel were a “Dancing Waters” fountain show, The Luau Room, the Cabaret Lounge and the Palm Room. Bud Harris opened the Strip’s largest gift shop in the resort, it featured imported, domestic and western items. We have a decorative Staffordshire plate that pictures a group of people around a roulette wheel. The caption on the plate reads “Playing Roulette, Las Vegas, Nevada”. There’s a sticker on the back from the Royal Nevada Gift Shop.

Entertainment

One of the featured lounge acts was the Dukes of Dixieland—which included Liberace’s brothers Frank and Fred. The showroom featured a shortened version of the Broadway smash Guys and Dolls, which reunited its original Broadway stars; Robert Alda (father of television star Alan Alda), Vivian Blaine and Sam Levene.

Problems

After being open for only eight months, more problems arose at the Royal Nevada. On January 1, 1956, the resort closed its doors after the culinary union tried to collect $25,000 in back wages that it said were owed.

Bill Miller had been the publicist at the Sahara Hotel, but was also an investor in the Royal Nevada. When the Royal Nevada closed, he left the Sahara. In March of 1956, the resort reopened as Bill Miller’s Royal Nevada, with T.W. “Rich” Richardson as president, W.A. Simonds and Bucky Harris as managers. The resort’s new motto was “A wonderful where in Las Vegas.”

I’m not sure, but the resort might have closed again in 1956, or maybe it just underwent a renovation. I found an article indicating that on February 3, 1957, the bistro and casino were newly opened. In 1957, for the first time, “all you can eat prime rib” was introduced to a strip’s Chuckwagon buffet, at the Royal Nevada, and the cost was $1.50.

The resort continued to struggle, and in March of 1958 the Royal Nevada closed for good. Some say it was a result of a weak economy, combined with the building boom on the Strip (The Riviera opened 2 days after the Royal Nevada, The Dunes opened in May, and the popular Moulin Rouge opened on the West Side in June). There have also been rumors that the gamblers broke the bank. Whatever the reason, the Royal Nevada had made its last comeback.

“Stardust South”

In 1959, the crown came down from the building and the Stardust took over the property. The casino and most of the showroom became the Stardust’s convention center. The motel wing became the pool wing for the Stardust. The wing was usually used for high rollers and showgirls. The pool was more secluded than the Stardust’s Big Dipper pool, so it was the pool of choice for the showgirls who liked to swim in the nude to avoid tan lines.

On June 1, 2006, the Royal Nevada wing of the Stardust closed for good, and now it’s gone. Eventually the ground that it stood on will be under a tiny portion of the gi-normous Echelon Place project that is currently under construction.

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First published in the Casino Chip and Token News Magazine Fall 2007, Volume 20 number 4 issue.

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