We're not sure where you read/heard about Sinatra and/or Dino being involved -- our research into the cathedral yielded no mention of either -- but it's still an interesting story replete with other colorful characters.
For anyone who's unfamiliar with it, the Guardian Angel Cathedral is located at 302 Cathedral Way, just east of the Strip on Desert Inn. It was designed in 1963 by famed mid-century modern architect Paul R. Williams, the pioneering African American talent behind the La Concha motel in Las Vegas, among many other famous public and residential buildings in Nevada and California (see QoD 10/22/2009). Here's how the project came about.
Back in the '50s, prior to the Second Vatican Council of 1962-'65, which addressed the relationship between the Catholic Church and the modern world, there was no Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon mass, meaning that many Catholic casino staff were unable to attend due to shift conflicts. As a solution, one of the managers at the Stardust and Desert Inn requested that the local diocese offer a 4:30 a.m. mass for his cooks, bartenders, waiters, and musicians working graveyard.
For a while a lounge in what was the Royal Nevada Hotel (also designed by Williams and located next door to the Stardust) hosted mass, which later transferred to the showroom at the Stardust, following the night's final performance.
In the late '50s, St. Viator, the city's only other Catholic church (located across town and literally built on the city dump), was razed due to lack of structural stability. As part of his efforts to improve his mobbed-up image with some active philanthropy, in 1961 the notorious Morris "Moe" Dalitz approached his friend, architect Paul Williams, with a scheme to build a Strip cathedral, for which Dalitz donated the land.
According to reports we came across, the cathedral was built using Dalitz' own private money (unlike some of his other projects, including Sunrise Hospital and the Las Vegas Country Club, for which union pension funds were also tapped). Again, we found no mention of any involvement from Sinatra or Martin, although the timing would've been right. Click here for some dramatic construction photographs from the collection of the Nevada State Museum. The inaugural mass was conducted in October 1963.
Williams utilized the dramatic A-frame design, bisected by twelve triangular recesses, each of which features a colorful modernist stained-glass depiction of one of the Stations of the Cross, some featuring Las Vegas/gambling -- even topical '60s atomic -- references (see below). The result is a very dramatic building, more than capable of holding its own next to the pomp and glitz of the Strip. The cathedral has seating for 1,100 congregants and is also adorned with colorful murals and mosaics, including the large piece over the entrance by Los Angeles artist Edith Piczek. It's one of the more striking, yet lesser known authentic architectural reminders of Las Vegas' early days.
While the Guardian Angel Cathedral now offers a more typical service schedule and no longer conducts late-night mass, it remains popular (especially with tourists) and in 1995 was renovated for $1.3 million.
