Big plans in works for historic casino

New owners of the historic Moulin Rouge recently celebrated their $12.1 million purchase at an on-site party with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, martinis, can can girls and members of the local media.

The famous Moulin Rouge neon sign -- one of the few things to survive last May's fire that ravaged the property on Bonanza Road -- was relit, and plans for a $200 million rebuild of the hotel and casino were revealed. A grand reopening is scheduled for December, 2005.

"We will be bringing the promise of the original Moulin Rouge to reality. The new Moulin Rouge will both commemorate history and celebrate the future," said Dale Scott, president of the Moulin Rouge Development Corp., a minority-owned, ad hoc company formed exclusively to revitalize the property.

The Moulin Rouge opened in 1955 and was the first racially integrated casino in Las Vegas. It became the local hot spot for stars like Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte.

The hotel served as a home to black entertainers who headlined on the Strip, as well as a venue where they performed alongside their white peers. The original Moulin Rouge packed a lot of local entertainment history into six short months. It then closed because of financial difficulties.

Even after its closure, the Moulin Rouge was instrumental in desegregating the Las Vegas Strip. In 1960, then-Governor Grant Sawyer met with local African-American leaders and Las Vegas hotel operators to sign the "Moulin Rouge Agreement" to abolish segregation along the Strip. The property later was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Different owners have periodically tried to revitalize the Moulin Rouge over the years, but none has been successful long-term.

In May, 2003 an arsonist burned down the old Moulin Rouge, destroying historic relics, photos and a famous wall mural. The property's front facade, neon sign, tile-covered columns and signature tower survived and will provide the foundation for the rebuild.

"The historical significance of this property cannot be overstated," Scott said. "It has passed from one good intentioned soul to the next over the years. For the first time, the Moulin Rouge will be provided the kind of capital necessary to bring it back to life."

Plans for the new Moulin Rouge include 500 hotel rooms, a 40,000 square-foot casino, a nine-theatre move complex, a showroom and a 117,000 square-foot events center. An on-site museum will feature artifacts and photos that tell the history of the property.

"Once construction is completed, the Moulin Rouge will be brought back to its original grandeur of the mid 1950s, where on any given night you might see celebrity entertainment from Nancy Wilson to Beyoncé Knowles," said Rod Bickerstaff, Moulin Rouge Development Corporation's vice president.


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