Thank you for the Question of the Day last week about Sid Wyman. Fascinating, and it got me to thinking that of all the casinos mentioned in the answer -- Sands, Royal Nevada, Dunes, Riviera, and Flamingo -- only the Flamingo still exists. My question is, does anything from the original Flamingo still exist too?
The Flamingo remains on the original site that it's occupied for 63 years. But that's all that's left from the House That Bugsy Finished Building (he didn't start building it; for that story, see QoD 9/08/06) and nothing remains from the original building or grounds.
Hilton Corp. bought the 24-year-old Flamingo in 1970, thereby becoming the first major hotel chain to enter the Nevada market. Hilton embarked on a colossal expansion program that added 500-room towers in 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1986, along with a 728-room tower in 1990, and a 908-room tower in 1993.
The 1990 expansion required tearing up the 45-year-old rose garden, rumored to have been planted by Siegel himself. The 1993 expansion tore down the original two-story garden-room "bungalows," in order to make room for the 15-acre pool area. Also razed in 1993 was the four-story Oregon Building, where Siegel had a private suite on the fourth floor. The Oregon Building location is now occupied by the 440-unit Hilton timeshare tower.
In a rare display of nostalgia, around 2004, the Flamingo erected a little brick shrine to Bugsy, with a plaque commemorating his life, a bas relief of his face, and even a garden full of roses, in the middle of the pool area. That's still there.
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Ron Coventry
Nov-25-2019
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Kurt Wiesenbach
Nov-25-2019
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