I have often wondered about the history of the Victory Hotel 307 S. Main Street. My research has only turned up this being one of the oldest buildings in town. With all the development taking place in this area, it would seem a natural to restore this old relic and open a bar/cafe. Is this building protected?
Also, today's the day that a new poll launches. You'll find the link at the bottom of the answer.
[Editor's Note: We handed this one off to Jeff, proprietor of VintageVegas.com. Which, if you've never visited, we highly recommend for endless historical photos of this city. But we also suggest you block off enough time for it; when you start following your nose on this website, you'll come up for air and check the clock and it will be two hours later! We say this from experience.]
The Victory Hotel was in use for about 100 years and was known for decades as the oldest unaltered structure from the first tourist industry in Las Vegas –- the one dependent on the railroad.
The intersection of Main and Fremont was Las Vegas’ original hotel district, all in close proximity to the railroad depot that stood at the present site of the Plaza Hotel. The Overland and Hotel Nevada (the basis of today’s Golden Gate Hotel & Casino) were at this intersection, and smaller hotels stretched south along Main Street. The Victory was the longest survivor of that era. Its Mission-style architecture was once common downtown, but had largely disappeared by the '60s.
