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Remembering the 1950 Desert Inn

Desert Inn Side View
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Front of the 1950 Desert Inn.
The fifth major casino on The Strip.

1950 Desert Inn Roofsign
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The 1950 installation of the Desert Inn's roof-sign

Two Views of the Desert Inn Entrance
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Artist's rendering and photo of the 1950 Desert Inn's front entrance. A covered driveway (porte cochere) would come later.

The original 1950 Desert Inn Roadsign on the Las Vegas Strip
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Like the 1941 El Rancho, 1942 Last Frontier, 1946 Flamingo & 1948 Thunderbird - the Desert Inn had a large front lawn along the highway.

Front Entrance of the 1950 Desert Inn
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View of the entrance at the original Desert Inn Hotel and the second story Skyroom,
at the time, being the highest observation lounge on the 1950 Vegas Strip.

In 1956 the Skyroom was remodeled to make four walls of wrap-around windows.

Architect's Drawing of the Entire Desert Inn Property & Hotel Room Wings
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Ken Sawyer's 1949 architectural rendition of the Desert Inn resort showing fountain, main building and back room-wings.

Wayne McAllister was the main architect for the El Rancho & DI. He later designed the 1952 Sands and 1956 Fremont hotels.

1962 Architect's Rendition of Desert Inn
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1963 brought the Desert Inn's 10-story tower addition and remodeling.

Desert Inn Showgirl
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Ad for the Painted Desert Showroom.

The Front Lawn & Driveway of the 1950 Desert Inn
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The DI's large front lawn.

Desert Inn's Rear Pool Area
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Rear pool & Desert Inn Skyroom.

Painted Desert Supper Club Menu
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Menu for the Painted Desert Supper Club.

Desert Inn 1950s Show Advertisement
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Show advertisement for the Crystal Room.

Desert Inn's Fifties Gateway
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The flagstone and wood entrance gate.
Plaque states Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn.

These front entries were added in 1956.

Desert Inn Front & Skyroom
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Main front entrance, sign and Skyroom.

The Skyroom Lounge providing views of the western sunsets over the Last Frontier Hotel and La Madre Mountains.

Desert Inn Pool & Swimmers
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The 1950 Desert Inn's curved swimming pool with the glass-walled casino and skyroom in the background.


Desert Inn Posters & Prints

Desert Inn Lobby Print
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Desert Inn Lobby

Desert Inn Lobby Print
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Desert Inn Showroom

Desert Inn Pool Art Print & Poster
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Desert Inn Pool

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Photos, Posters & Framed Canvas Art.

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1954 Fremont Street - on Stretched Canvas

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Night Drive: Desert Inn to Downtown

'Show 'Em the Road' - 1954 Mobilgas film documentary.
3 minutes of video showing So-Calif teens at Desert Inn
then taking night drive on The Strip to Downtown Vegas.

Courtesy of Prelinger Archives


Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Hotel Casino

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The Skyroom

Desert Inn Skyroom View of Sunrise Mountain
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The north-eastward view from the Skyroom of the pool, with Frenchman's and Sunrise Mountain in the distance.

Six years after the hotel's opening windows were added to all four sides of the Skyroom.

Desert Inn Skyroom
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The Desert Inn Skyroom Bar (left) and view of pool area and Sunrise Mountain (right).

South Gate Entrance of Desert Inn
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The south gate of the original Desert Inn. Another such gate was at the north end of the property.

View of Desert Inn Pool and Swimmers
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View, from the back, shows the pool, room wings & glass windows of the casino area and the Skyroom.

Night View of the DI from Pool
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Night view, from the pool, shows the windows of the casino area & Skyroom - overlooking the pool.

Night View of the DI
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Wider view of the Desert Inn pool and sign.

Desert Inn Pool and Skyroom
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The observation windows of the Skyroom were slanted to prevent interior reflections.


The Desert Inn Arch

The Desert Inn Pool Arch
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Desert Inn's Arch was built 17 years before the erection of the similarly styled 1967
St. Louis Arch. The 1963 Desert Inn Hotel Tower is seen in the background.

Desert Inn's Arch and Flames at Night
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At night - colored, propane flames lit up the Arch's Dance Pavilion, dancers and musicians.

Wide Day View of the DI Pool and Arch
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Wider view of the pool and arch looking northward.

Night View of the Desert Inn Arch
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Eastward view of the DI pool and arch.

Night Dancing at the DI Pool
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Nightly dancing was held under the stars and flames, next to the pool.

South East View of Desert Inn Pool
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South-easterly view of the Desert Inn pool and arch.

Southward View - Desert Inn in the Fifties
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Southward view of Desert Inn from current location of the Encore's north hotel entrance.

Current Encore Las Vegas North Entrance as Seen in 1950
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The Encore Las Vegas Hotel opens on this historic location in 2009.


Desert Inn Dining

Desert Inn Buffet in the 1950s
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This full-fledged Desert Inn buffet was named the 'Snack Bar'.

Buffet at Desert Inn
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This view of the DI buffet speaks for itself.

 Menu from the Painted Desert Showroom
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The Painted Desert Supper Club menu.


Desert Inn Shows

Desert Inn Showgirls & Chorus Line
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The showgirls and chorus line inside the Desert Inn showroom.

Desert Inn Showroom
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Although the first showrooms were smaller than current ones - the shows were extravaganzas.

Mid-Fifties' advertisement for the Painted Desert Showroom.

Painted Desert Advertisement
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Fifties Nightlife at the Desert Inn

Video of Opening Night at the 1955 Noel Coward Show.
Two minute clip shows the Desert Inn Roadsign, bits
of the show and the backstage crowd.

(You can tap screen & advance to 2:30 mark to see DI's front entrance)

Composer-Entertainer Noel Coward in the Las Vegas Desert Promoting His Show at the Desert Inn Hotel
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Coward in Vegas - Poster

Noel received $40,000 per week for a twice nightly, four
week summer run at the DI Showroom.

Frank Sinatra chartered a train to bring Hollywood friends David Niven, Lauren Bacall, Lawrence Harvey, Zsa Zsa,
Jane Powell and Judy Garland to enjoy the show and cheer on the famous, English composer-entertainer.


Desert Inn Golf

Desert Inn Golf Course
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The Desert Inn Golf Course has been in existence since 1950. Now the Wynn Golf Course.

Desert Inn Golf Tournament
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The Desert Inn hosted the annual Tournament of Champions golf contest. NBC TV's media truck is at left.

Desert Inn's Golfing
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The Desert Inn Golf Course has been in existence since 1950 and is now the remodeled golf course for Wynn & Encore.

MORE DESERT INN

More Desert Inn history as it relates to the Wynn Resort location.


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Remodeled 1953 Flamingo Hotel Vegas
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1953 remodeling of the 1946 Flamingo Hotel's front entrance. Its cylindrical, 'champagne bubles'

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