A:
The answer, we regret to say, is not much, but we’ll do the best we can.
Of all the historical questions we’ve addressed in this column, the answer to this one has proven to be the most elusive. Before passing on the little we’ve got, we’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to Patrick Weaver of Vintage Vegas, Doug Saito, publisher of Chip Chat magazine, and Harvey Fuller, author of Fuller’s Index of Nevada Gaming Establishments, without whose help and prior research we’d still be looking at a blank page.
From the above sources, we’ve managed to glean the following information:
- Casa Vegas apparently opened on Jan. 12, 1945, on the old L.A. Hiway (as it was sometimes spelled back then), otherwise known as Highway 91, which eventually became Las Vegas Boulevard. The exact street address is listed as 3131 Hwy. 91.
- According to a Las Vegas Evening Review Journal article on the date that Casa Vegas opened, this casino was in fact a renamed, remodeled, and redecorated reincarnation of the old Bank Club building that had been located at 17 Fremont St. The casino manager of the new venue was listed as M.J. Furlong.
- Casa Vegas is reported as having had three owners during its five-year lifespan, namely: someone called "Evans"; followed by Duke Wiley, an old-time Vegas character known for riding his horse through casinos, among other things, who took over in April 1946; and finally Bob Myers, who was the proprietor when it finally closed in 1950.
- An interesting aside unearthed by Harvey Fuller, during his extensive research into Las Vegas casino history, consists of an ad in the 1946 Las Vegas telephone directory for Casa Vegas, describing it as the "brightest spot on the Strip … Open from sundown till sunup." This must be one of, if not the, earliest examples of the Los Angeles Highway being referred to as "the Strip."
And that’s all we’re able to tell you about Casa Vegas, with the exception of the interesting advertisements and other memorabilia below, kindly supplied by Steve Bedo of www.thechipboard.com, Las Vegas Mikey, who submitted this question; and Ebay seller diego379. If anyone has anything further to add or contribute, we’d be most grateful for additional tidbits regarding this obscure and short-lived venue.
Casa Vegas ad
$25 chip
Another ad
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