Kitty-korner from Bally’s Las Vegas is the former site of Bourbon Street, long since imploded by Harrah’s Entertainment and not the least bit missed. It had a skanky reputation and the tightest slots you ever did play. After it was demolished on Feb. 14, 2006 (left), it became Wino Corner, with the empty bottles piled so high and wide that it took some media chastisement to get Harrah’s to literally clean up its act.
During the years that Bourbon Street has been parking lot for construction trailers, one remnant of its former self remained: a series of giant medallions embedded in the sidewalk. They bore the names of Al Hirt, Pete Fountain and other New Orleans jazz greats. They also made a nice trivia question or conversation starter. Until somebody decided to gouge them out of the pavement, that is. At first, the job was sloppily done, which much of surrounding brick left in place and asphalt slopped into the newly cratered “pedestrian realm.” Scratch one more vestige of Las Vegas’ relatively brief history.
Having just ridden by the former Bourbon Street site today, I am pleased to report that Harrah’s has gone back and completely effaced the eyesore it created. The whole stretch has been newly paved, with a fresh driveway entry (Hmmmm …) in the middle. Still, what harm would it have done to have left the medallions in place? Why is the prevalent impulse toward our scant heritage to destroy, not preserve?
As for that new driveway: Any sign of positive movement on Harrah’s idle acreage is a cause of great interest. The single most obvious consequence of the semi-paralysis that inevitably, predictably afflicted the company after its frivolous LBO was the creation of a vast, dark post-apocalyptic wasteland, stretching from the Monorail back to Koval Lane. The presence of a few slum-like apartment buildings owned by Oscar Nunez (who had his chance to sell to Harrah’s for beaucoup bucks and blew it) only adds to the prevailing wretchedness. If CEO Gary Loveman doesn’t hang on long enough to redevelop his grab-bag of East Strip property, he can point to that black void and honestly say he’s left his mark upon Las Vegas.
Fun fact: Bourbon Street began life 30 years ago as The Shenandoah, under an ownership group that included the suddenly ubiquitous Wayne Newton. The Wayner is omnipresent this week.
I used to stay at The Shenandoah! They had a casino, but never got the license. Rooms were only 40 bucks, and The Maxim was right next door. I wondered what happened to that place, thanks.
It’s a shame there isn’t a centralized “walk of fame” type place on the strip as in Hollywood. It would be a real attraction.
When I used to sell printing at American Printing in the late 1990’s Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino was one of my accounts. I would stop by once a month or so (just like the old Howard Johnson’s Hotel and Casino I mentioned previously which turned into the legendary Golden Palm Hotel and Casino). The Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino was usually pretty empty and just boring. Both of these casinos were small, outdated and now gone.
With the state of Harrah’s finances, Oscar Nunez still may have a chance to BUY from Harrah’s for pennies on the dollar!
My first casino visit in Vegas was at Bourbon Street, we walked out of Flamingo and didn’t know that walking in that direction was essentially not the strip. We played .50 roulette for the night and made it back each day over the next couple days. At the time, it wasn’t the wretched place it became, they had a small pit, $1 Heinekens and a fairly pleasant staff.
2 years later on my trip back I talked my friends into visiting and much to my chagrin (and much ribbing from friends to this day) it had become a skanky dump. No tables, dirty, dingy run down floor, with no one playing anything and a curtained off showroom (which was previous the lounge that opened on the casino floor); which was running an x-rated puppet show. I still think fondly of the first visit there though.