Boardwalk Hotel and Casino

The Boardwalk Hotel and CasinoTemplate:Efn was a Coney Island-style hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The property began in 1966, as a Holiday Inn. Norbert Jansen added a gift shop to the hotel in 1972, and later opened the Slot Joynt casino. In 1985, Jansen renamed the Holiday Inn as the Viscount Hotel, part of a U.S. chain. Four years later, he merged Slot Joynt with the Viscount and renamed them as the Boardwalk. It rejoined the Holiday Inn chain in 1994, through a franchise deal which eventually ended in 2002.

A carnival facade was added in 1995, featuring non-functional ride replicas. A 15-story tower was finished in 1996, giving the Boardwalk a total of 653 rooms. The casino was also enlarged, bringing it to Template:Convert. The resort occupied Template:Convert. It was popular for its cheap food and rooms, and its small size compared to nearby megaresorts.

In 1998, the Boardwalk was sold to Mirage Resorts, which later became MGM Mirage. The resort closed on January 9, 2006, to help make way for MGM's Template:Convert CityCenter project. The hotel's main tower was imploded on May 9, 2006. The former Boardwalk site is now occupied by CityCenter's Waldorf Astoria hotel.

History

The Boardwalk began as a 138-room Holiday Inn hotel with a restaurant, cocktail lounge, and meeting space with a capacity for 100 people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Located at 3740 South Las Vegas Boulevard,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the hotel was designed by architect Homer Rissman,<ref name=Rissman>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was completed in 1966.<ref name=Rissman/><ref name=Vintage>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Vintage2/> It opened with a six-floor tower.<ref name=Vintage/><ref name=Vintage2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In March 1966, employees of the Holiday Inn, who were represented by the Culinary Workers Union, began picketing in front of the hotel, alleging that they did not receive wages and conditions that were standard for the area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Picket/> Holiday Inn denied the claim, stating that wages and conditions were equal to or above local standards.<ref name=Picket/> The union ultimately lost its fight.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Picket>Template:Cite news</ref>

A second hotel tower opened in 1968,<ref name=Vintage/> and the hotel later became known as Holiday Inn South and Holiday Inn South Strip, differentiating it from other Las Vegas locations such as the Holiday Inn Center Strip.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 1975, the hotel's innkeeper died in a fire that was believed to have been started by a cigarette. The fire was confined to the innkeeper's room on the fifth floor, and caused approximately $40,000 in damage. Guests of the fifth floor were evacuated, and approximately 10 were treated for smoke inhalation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Norbert Jansen, former owner of Pioneer Club, had opened a gift shop, Holiday Gifts, at the hotel in 1972.<ref name=Vintage/> It was later renamed Holiday Gifts South. Avis Jansen, Norbert's wife, eventually sought to install 15 slot machines at the gift shop. However, the Nevada Gaming Control Board voted against this proposal in December 1977. She had been rejected due to the fact that her husband was the landlord of the business; he had previously been convicted of tax evasion in the 1960s, and was also involved in a company that filed bankruptcy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 1981,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Jansens had opened a casino known as Slot Joynt, which later became part of the hotel.<ref name=Cancer>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1985, with little fanfare, the Jansens renamed the Holiday Inn as the Viscount Hotel, part of a chain with 14 other locations in the U.S. At that time, the six-story hotel included 204 rooms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1989, Jansen proposed the addition of a 21-story working slot machine, the world's largest, to be built in front of Slot Joynt. However, this idea was rejected by the Clark County Commission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Lawrence/> Despite receiving approval later that year,<ref name=Giant/> Jansen decided against the idea due to its rising cost, going from $5 million to $7 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Boardwalk (1989–2006)

Template:Multiple image In February 1989, Jansen converted the Viscount and Slot Joynt into the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino.<ref name=Giant>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn Boardwalk Casino Inc. became a public company in February 1994, following an initial public offering.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two months later, plans were announced for a $9 million renovation and expansion that would include the enlargement of the casino, which measured Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Close-up of the clown face

The hotel rejoined the Holiday Inn chain through a new franchise deal later in 1994,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a Coney Island theme was added shortly thereafter.<ref name=Neon>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A carnival facade was built in 1995, adding non-functional replicas of a parachute drop, roller coaster, and Ferris wheel, as well as a giant clown face and retail shops.<ref name=Neon/><ref name=34years/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Boardwalk Hotel and Casino">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The casino was also expanded,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a 15-floor, 451-room tower was finished in 1996.<ref name=34years/><ref name="Boardwalk Hotel and Casino"/> That year, Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. made a $9 million investment in the Boardwalk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1997, the resort added the 370-seat Surf Buffet,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which ran a television commercial starring professional boxer Butterbean.<ref name=Bye/><ref name=34years/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jansen, speaking about his earlier proposal for a giant slot machine, said in 1995: "It's not officially dead. But I'd say that it's dying, that I probably won't see it in my lifetime".<ref name=Lawrence>Template:Cite news</ref> Jansen died of cancer in January 1997, at the age of 78.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Cancer/> Avis Jansen continued to operate the gift shop until the Boardwalk's closure.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Boardwalk occupied Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Slated/> In December 1997, Mirage Resorts agreed to purchase the resort and three adjacent parcels for $135 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The $105 million Boardwalk sale was approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission in June 1998.<ref name=Vogel>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=LVS-Jun98>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the Boardwalk included 650 employees, 653 rooms and a Template:Convert casino.<ref name=Vogel/> Minor improvements were planned for the Boardwalk, with no immediate plans to replace it.<ref name=LVS-Jun98/>

A decision to expand or replace the Boardwalk was expected within three or four years.<ref name=Vogel/> However, Mirage Resorts was acquired by MGM Grand, Inc. in 2000, forming MGM Mirage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The newly formed company delayed its plans for a redevelopment of the Boardwalk site, choosing instead to focus on its new Borgata resort,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> opened in Atlantic City in 2003. MGM took its time on a Boardwalk replacement, which was contingent on the success of Borgata.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Holiday Inn name was dropped in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In November 2004, MGM announced plans for CityCenter, a mixed-use project that would be built on Template:Convert, including the Boardwalk site.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Slated>Template:Cite news</ref> The Boardwalk closed on January 9, 2006.<ref name=Bye>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=34years>Template:Cite news</ref> It had been popular for its cheap food and rooms,<ref name=34years/><ref name=Safari>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as its small size compared to nearby megaresorts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Columnist John L. Smith of the Las Vegas Review-Journal called the Boardwalk "a testament to the local belief that even a terribly tacky joint -- one with an Atlantic City theme, for crying out loud -- can grind out a cash flow if it happens to be located in the heart of the action on the Strip".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Demolition of the 15-story tower in April 2006, prior to implosion

The Boardwalk's main hotel tower was imploded by Controlled Demolition, Inc. on May 9, 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Much of the debris from the imploded structure was recycled as building material for CityCenter,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> including its foundation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Glass and bathroom fixtures were shipped to other countries for re-use.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Former lieutenant governor Lonnie Hammargren, a collector of Las Vegas memorabilia, purchased the Boardwalk's Ferris wheel, a Surf Buffet sign, the resort's wedding gazebo, and a 15-foot-high lighthouse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The facade's clown head was demolished.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Boardwalk site is now occupied by CityCenter's Waldorf Astoria hotel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Notable entertainers

The Unknown Comic performed at the Boardwalk in the mid-1990s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Elvis impersonator Trent Carlini entertained in the casino's 100-seat Lighthouse Showroom from 1996 to 2001,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> sharing the venue at one point with magician Dixie Dooley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Purple Reign, a Prince tribute show, ran in the same venue from 2001 to 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Bye/>

External links

• Video recording of the Boardwalk implosion