InOldLasVegas.com Collection. Restoration & Enhancement by Camden Communications
The site of the Sans Souci was formerly occupied by the 1933 'Red Rooster Roadhouse'. In 1942 the 'Sans Souci
Auto-Court' was built on that spot. In 1955 it built this 'Sans Souci Motel' building - which was basically the
current location of the far north edge of The Mirage Hotel property and south edge of Treasure Island.
In 1963 - Sans Souci became The Castaways Hotel-Casino.
InOldLasVegas.com Collection. Restoration & Enhancement by Camden Communications
The Castaways added new room-wings around the original Sans Souci building.
InOldLasVegas.com Collection. Restoration & Enhancement by Camden Communications
The Castaways was considered a prime location due to its close proximity to The Sands (across the street)
and with The Frontier and Desert Inn hotels within walking distance to the north.
InOldLasVegas.com Collection. Restoration & Enhancement by Camden Communications
Sreve Wynn purchased the former Castway's property to make way for his 1989 Mirage Hotel.
This 1977 photo shows the three former Shell, Arco and Texaco Gas Stations just beyond Caesars Palace.
The red roofs of the Castaways can be seen at the right edge. The filling-satations were the main area that
the Mirage would later be built on. The curve in the road (Las Vegas Boulevard) would provide an excellent
location for the Mirage roadsign - making it a highly visible landmark for travelers driving the South Strip.
When choosing to call his new hotel 'The Mirage', Wynn needed to acquire full ownership of the name by buying
all future claims to rights from the existing 'Mirage Motel' - which was located at the far south end The Strip.
The Mirage motel was built in 1952 and thru its 53 year existence was the first Las Vegas establishment seen
by inbound auto-travelers. Before the freeway, the highway from Los Angeles lead directly into Las Vegas
Boulevard - making The Mirage Motel the first manmade oasis seen on the desert road. It was located near
the stone gate to Mc Carren airport, just 100 yards south of where Mandalay Bay now sits. After its 1988
name change to The Glass Pool Inn - it enjoyed even greater popularity.
InOldLasVegas.com Collection. Restoration & Enhancement by Camden Communications
The Mirage was the first hotel, on The Strip, to use the three-wing, 'Y-Shape'...which proved
highly succesful when used earlier at the 1955 Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
InOldLasVegas.com Collection. Restoration & Enhancement by Camden Communications
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Videos of Former Steve Wynn Hotels
Frank Sinatra at the Dunes' 1955 Grand Opening, Wynn imploding the Dunes from Treasure Island, Bellagio's 1998 TV
Commercial, Mirage Dolphins & Volcano, Treasure Island's Buccaneer-Sirens show & Adventures of Tim Poster & Tom Breitling.
In 2001, Steve Wynn sold his hotel properties to Kirk Kerkorian's MGM. He took the funds and purchased
"the most important piece of real estate in the West" - the immense site of the Desert Inn and Golf course
(seen out-lined in red on the left). This is the property he used to build Wynn Las Vegas (at the top-corner
of the lot). The Encore has now completed construction on the exact site of the Desert Inn Hotel. Even thou
the entire hotel had been remodeled just a few years earlier - the hotel was imploded to make way for the
all-new Wynn Resort Project. The Wynn Resort has plenty of land to develop far into the future.
