Dunes (hotel and casino)
The Dunes Hotel & Country Club was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It opened on May 23, 1955, as the tenth resort on the Strip. It was initially owned by a group of businessmen from out of state, but failed to prosper under their management. It also opened at a time of decreased tourism, while the Strip was simultaneously becoming overbuilt with hotel rooms. A few months after the opening, management was taken over by the operators of the Sands resort, also on the Strip. This group failed to improve business and relinquished control less than six months later.
For the unfinished project, see Dunes Hotel and Casino (Atlantic City).
Dunes
3650 Las Vegas Boulevard South[1]
May 23, 1955
January 26, 1993
194 (as of 1955)
960 (1965)
1,282 (1979)
Minsky's Follies
Vive Les Girls
Casino de Paris
Emerald Green golf course
Sultan's Table
Dome of the Sea
Top O' the Strip
Land-based
Masao Nangaku (1987–1992)
Mirage Resorts (1992–1994)
John Replogle and Robert Dorr Jr. (1955)
Milton Schwartz (1964–65 additions)
Maxwell Starkman (1979 hotel addition)
1960–61, 1964–65, 1971, 1978–79, 1982, 1986
Businessman Major Riddle turned business around after taking over operations in 1956. He was involved with the resort until his death in 1980. He had several partners, including Sid Wyman, who worked for the Dunes from 1961 until his death in 1978. Mafia attorney Morris Shenker joined in 1975, following one of the most extensive routine investigations ever conducted by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The Dunes had frequent connections with Mafia figures, some of whom were alleged to have hidden ownership in the resort, and state officials were concerned about Shenker's association with such figures.
In 1957, the Dunes debuted Las Vegas' first topless show, Minsky Goes to Paris, prompting other resorts to follow suit. Two other successful shows, by Frederic Apcar, would later debut at the Dunes. The resort also offered amenities such as the Emerald Green golf course, which opened in 1964. The Dunes was one of two Strip resorts to include a golf course, the other one being the Desert Inn. The Emerald Green was the longest course in Nevada, at 7,240 yards.
The Dunes opened with 194 rooms, while a 21-story tower brought the total to 960. The tower was among the tallest buildings in Nevada, and was opened in 1965. By this time, the resort also had the tallest free-standing sign in the world, rising 181 feet. Several popular restaurants were also added in the 1960s, including the underwater-themed Dome of the Sea, and the Top O' the Strip, located at the top of the hotel tower. Another tower, 17 stories in height, was opened in 1979, giving the resort a total of 1,282 rooms. The Dunes added a second gaming facility, the Oasis Casino, in 1982.
The Dunes experienced financial problems in the 1980s, and had many prospective buyers during this time, including businessman Steve Wynn. Japanese investor Masao Nangaku eventually bought the resort in 1987, at a cost of $157 million. Nangaku intended to renovate and expand the Dunes, although his plans were derailed by an unusually lengthy control board investigation, which dissuaded financiers. Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, bought the Dunes in November 1992, paying $75 million. Plans were announced to replace it with a lake resort.
The Dunes closed on January 26, 1993. The original North Tower was imploded on October 27, 1993, during a highly publicized ceremony which helped promote Wynn's new Treasure Island resort, located about a mile north. The demolition event garnered 200,000 spectators. The newer South Tower was imploded on July 20, 1994, without the fanfare of the first implosion; it attracted 3,000 spectators. Wynn's new resort, Bellagio, eventually opened on the former Dunes site in 1998.
Fire safety and 1986 arson spree[edit]
New fire-safety rules were implemented in Las Vegas following the MGM Grand fire (1980) and Las Vegas Hilton fire (1981). In 1985, the Dunes was one of seven hotels that failed to comply with the new safety rules, receiving six citations. The Dunes agreed to close its main showroom and convention center in exchange for a county extension, allowing time to raise $13.5 million needed to bring the facilities up to standard.[182][183] In February 1986, the Dunes won additional extensions to meet the fire-safety requirements.[184][185]
Later that month, a series of arson fires were set to several Strip resorts, including the Dunes, the Holiday Casino, and the Sands. As a precaution, 1,650 hotel guests were evacuated from the Dunes just before midnight. On the casino floor, many gamblers refused to leave and continued playing. Firefighters quickly determined that the fires posed no threat to the casino area. Crews battled a total of five fires at the Dunes, and guests were allowed to return to their rooms after three hours. Six people were treated for smoke inhalation, and damage was estimated at $55,000. The Dunes offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist.[186] A man was eventually arrested for the arson spree and sentenced to 10 years in prison.[187][188] In light of the recent fires, the county reconsidered the extensions previously granted to the Dunes.[189][190][191] By May 1986, the resort had made significant progress on its fire retrofit work.[192]
In popular culture[edit]
The Dunes made numerous appearances in television, including a 1964 episode of Arrest and Trial.[296][297] It is featured in a 1977 episode of The Bionic Woman titled "Fembots in Las Vegas",[298][299][300] and a 1978 episode of Charlie's Angels titled "Angels in Vegas".[301] The Dunes sign is used in the intro of the television series Vega$, and the resort is seen in the pilot episode of the 1980s television series Knight Rider, titled "Knight of the Phoenix". It also appears in the season-two premiere episode "Goliath".
The Dunes made film appearances as well, including the 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever, in which it serves as the office of Whyte House casino manager Bert Saxby.[302] The Dunes sign also makes an appearance in the film,[303] and a deleted scene, available on home media releases, takes place in the Dome of the Sea restaurant.[302]
In the 1984 film Oxford Blues, the main character (portrayed by Rob Lowe) works as a parking attendant at the Dunes.[304] The sign and hotel also appear in the 1984 film Cannonball Run II, and are seen in the closing credits of the 1989 film K-9. The sign also appears in the 1991 comedy Hot Shots!, when the pilot nicknamed "Wash Out" mistakes a runway and lands near the hotel. The 1991 film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man includes footage of the casino and hotel, including its rooftop.[303]
The hotel's 1993 implosion was filmed for Treasure Island: The Adventure Begins, a television special promoting Wynn's Treasure Island resort.[305][306] The implosion is also among other Las Vegas resort demolitions featured during the closing credits of the 2003 film The Cooler.[307]
The Dunes is shown across from the fictional Tangiers casino at the beginning of the 1995 film Casino, directed by Martin Scorsese. The Dunes is also seen during the Las Vegas sequence of Scorsese's 2019 film The Irishman.