In a word, money. What else is new?
After 31 years (it opened in April 1979), the Liberace Museum on East Tropicana Avenue will close on October 17. In addition, all employees – 31 in total, with 13 full-time workers – will be laid off as of that day.
From an annual high of nearly a half-million visitors 25 years ago, when the museum competed with Hoover Dam as the most popular non-casino tourist destination. Lately, the museum has been lucky to draw 50,000 a year, even with diligent marketing that included 2-for-1 tickets.
As the aura of Liberace faded and Las Vegas caters more to a young and hip customer base, the museum has become a bit passe. In addition, locals have cared less and less about the flamboyant performer. According to the board of directors, closing the museum has been coming for a decade.
To add insult to injury, several businesses located in the museum’s retail plaza, owned by the Liberace Foundation, have closed, which lowered the foundation’s rent income. The lack of income forced the Foundation to dip into its endowment funds for operation costs. The endowment is earmarked for providing financial aid to gifted music students; more than $6 million has been distributed since Liberace initiated the fund in 1976.
The Foundation was counting on a feature film based on the life of Liberace to revive flagging interest in the star’s name. Production was scheduled to begin next spring, but Michael Douglas was slated to star in the film. He was recently diagnosed with throat cancer, leaving the movie in abeyance.
The collection of Liberace’s costumes, pianos, automobiles, and memorabilia will be stored and secured. The Foundation is also in the planning stages of a national tour, where the most desirable pieces will be displayed in major cities for three or four months at a time. Meanwhile, the Foundation’s dream is to reopen the museum closer to the tourist corridor, if not right on the Strip.
The Liberace Museum has been a Las Vegas fixture for decades. We’ve fielded numerous QoD questions about it and Liberace himself (see QoDs 7/9/09, 1010/06, and 8/2/06) and it’s sad to see it close. But nothing lasts forever, especially in Las Vegas.
