EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY:
SANDS CLOSES AND GETS DEMOLISHED
LAS VEGAS, NV (1996)
Today’s casinos look like the headquarters of an insurance company rather than a resort. Perhaps the most iconic old casino was the Sands. It opened in 1952 and was demolished in 1996.
Recently, I wrote an article about the things I miss about the “old” Las Vegas.
One thing I forgot to mention was — the uniqueness of each and every major casino. All the big casinos on the Las Vegas Strip were very different. The architecture outside reflected different themes, and the inside decor matched whatever time and place the casino intended.
Now, all the newer casinos look like bank buildings in Charlotte. They’re towers of boredom. Take a look at the Aria and explain to me what’s unique about it. Or, the Cosmopolitan. Or, the Fontainebleau, which has been a hollow heap of rusted-out iron and dirty glass for 15 years, now. Yawn. Las Vegas used to have casinos shaped like space needles, fronted by volcanoes and pirate ships, with ornate rounded facades, Roman columns, gigantic neon signs beckoning visitors to step inside, and a sense of wonder and adventure. Today’s casinos look more like the corporate offices of an insurance company rather than a casino resort.
Perhaps the most iconic old casino of them all was the Sands. It first opened in 1952 and then closed in 1996. The Sands was best known as the home of the famed Rat Pack — comprised of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and company who used the casino and amenities as their own personal frat house. It was like Animal House in tuxedos. Yeah, those were way different times, back then — a bygone era. But the Sands reflected a moment that was both classy and fun.
In 1966, the Sands expanded and opened up a 500-room circular tower. The following year, Sands became the first of several Las Vegas hotels to be purchased by Howard Hughes. In its final years, the Sands was purchased by the controversial developer and incendiary political activist Sheldon Adelson. He closed the casino, imploded it, and build the Venetian in its place, which stands today. However, Adelson’s company continues to be known as “Las Vegas Sands Corporation.”
This photo was taken in the summer of 1996 in front of the Sands. As you can see on the giant sign, all the casino and hotel contents were to be auctioned off prior to the demolition, three months later. Many of those keepsakes ended up all over Las Vegas and elsewhere, later sold off on eBay as collectibles. Sands memorabilia continue to be popular items because the casino was such a powerful icon and image in the public eye. Much of that idolatry is because there will never be another place quite like it.