Abstract
The Pacifica Hotel Collection (1981-1985) contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, and contracts on the Pacifica Hotel, the first resort geared specifically towards the LGBTQIA+ community in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection also includes one optical disc with a compilation of Las Vegas television news stories from the summer of 1985 about the Pacifica Hotel project.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Pacifica Hotel Collection (1981-1985) contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, and contracts on the Pacifica Hotel, the first resort geared specifically towards the LGBTQIA+ community in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection also includes one optical disc with a compilation of Las Vegas television news stories from the summer of 1985 about the Pacifica Hotel project.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. The donor, Dennis McBride, transferred all right, title and interest they had in the Pacifica Hotel Collection (MS-01066) to UNLV. However, some material may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproductions and use or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu.
Arrangement
Materials remain as they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
In the early 1980s, Lee Martin and Ray Kepner founded Galliard Resorts International with the intention of building a resort targeted specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Treasury Hotel and Casino located on Tropicana Avenue closed in 1982 and Martin and Kepner approached Andrew DeLillo, Sr., the hotel's owner, and proposed the Treasury reopen as the Pacifica Hotel. The height of the AIDS epidemic in 1985 resulted in Las Vegas civic and gaming authorities preventing Martin and Kepner from opening the Pacifica Hotel. DeLillo also backed out of the deal and the Pacifica Hotel went out of business after one year of operation. The hotel was renamed as the Polynesian Hotel and as of 2021 operates as the Oyo Hotel and Casino.
Sources:
Hawley, Tom, "Video Vault: Pacifica Hotel targeted gay community, drawing attention and derision," KSNV News3LV, May 10, 2017. https://news3lv.com/news/local/video-vault-off-strip-hotel-targeting-gay-community-draws-attention-derision
Pacifica Hotel Collection, 1981-1985. MS-01066. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Preferred Citation
Pacifica Hotel Collection, 1981-1985. MS-01066. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2013 by Dennis McBride; accession number 2013-19.
Processing Note
In 2021, Tammi Kim minimally processed the collection and created the finding aid in ArchivesSpace. Video files were transferred off of one optical disc and converted to M4V.