Abstract
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Landmark Hotel and Casino Promotional and Press Materials includes newspaper clippings and promotional materials for the Landmark Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, dating from 1971-1995.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Landmark Hotel and Casino Promotional and Press Materials includes newspaper clippings and promotional materials for the Landmark Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, dating from 1971-1995. This collection includes materials previously described as "Promotional and Publicity Materials: Landmark Hotel and Casino."
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in alphabetical order.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Landmark Hotel and Casino's history began in 1961, when Frank Caroll purchased a 22-acre lot at the corner of Convention Center Drive and Paradise Road in Paradise, Nevada with a $3 million loan from the Appliance Buyers Credit Corporation. The original plan was to build a 15-story tower, which would have been the tallest in Nevada at that time. In December 1962, Caroll ran out of funding to complete the project. His creditors refused to lend him additional money to complete the tower and work halted. The tower sat 80% complete. In 1966, the Teamsters Union Pension Fund awarded Caroll $5.5 million to complete the Landmark Tower. Work resumed and the tower was completed by early 1967. Landmark announced it would open its main showroom and lounges in 1967 but, due to lack of funding, it did not open on time.
On January 17, 1969, Howard Hughes purchased the Landmark and agreed to pay off Frank Caroll’s nearly three dozen creditors and contractors. After eight years under construction, the Landmark Hotel and Casino opened on July 1, 1969.
In 1970, Hughes left Las Vegas, leaving control of his hotels to his company, Summa Corporation. Landmark Hotel and Casino reported a loss of $5.9 million that year. In 1974, William G. Bennett and William Pennington made an offer to buy the Landmark, but no deal was ever made. On July 15, 1977, carbon monoxide gas leaked into the hotel's air conditioning system killing one guest and injuring 138 others.
Even though the hotel failed to bring in much profit, it made enough to remain open through the 1980s. However, The Landmark was unable to compete with the city’s first mega resort, the Mirage, which opened in 1989. The Landmark Hotel and Casino closed in August 1990 and was demolished on November 7, 1995. As of 2019, the property where the Landmark once stood is a 2,000 space parking lot for the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Source:
“The Landmark Hotel and Casino.” Last modified November 20, 2016. https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/The_Landmark_Hotel_and_Casino.html
Preferred Citation
UNLV Libraries Collection of Landmark Hotel and Casino Promotional and Press Materials, 1971-1995. MS-00946. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were acquired periodically by UNLV Special Collections and Archives from a variety of sources; accession number 2019-061.
Processing Note
In 2019 as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Miguel Dominguez compiled the materials from multiple sources that included subject files and previously cataloged material. Miguel Dominguez wrote the finding aid.