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Posted by on Mar 7, 2021 in Blog, Las Vegas | 4 comments

Las Vegas History: Remembering the Landmark (Part 1)

 

 

Whoever said “the house always wins” never heard about the troubled history of the Landmark, an orphan of a casino plagued with massive problems from the start and since demolished into desert dust.  Part 1 of 3.

 

The Landmark Hotel and Casino seemed to hold all the cards.  Build a tall tower and they will come was the supposition.  But it was dealt one losing hand after another and eventually folded in 1995.

The Construction Phase

The futuristic-looking resort which resembled the Seattle Space Needle once stood at the northwest corner of the intersection of Paradise Road and Convention Center Drive, across the street from the Westgate.  It was one of Las Vegas’ rare flops, especially financially.  The tower and surrounding development were a bottomless money pit.  It lost money virtually every year it operated and lost even more before its doors opened.  The entire operation wallowed in debt for decades, punctuated by multiple bankruptcies, internal scandals, changes in ownership, building code violations and design flaws, and — strange as it sounds in a city that’s built on house edges — just plain old bad luck.

All that remains today as a blurry reminder of what used to be a 31-story structure is an old 60s era “Landmark” neon sign, which stands more like a tombstone than the tall tower which proceeded it.  Initially envisioned as a master-planned development — including a world-class casino, a luxury hotel, restaurants, an observation deck, high-end apartments, and a shopping complex — construction broke ground in 1961 during a boom building period in Las Vegas.

Construction was expected to take 18 months, but Frank Caroll (real name Frank Caracciolo), the original owner, ran out of money.  Not a good thing when trying to open a new casino.  Nonetheless, juggling the books and stiffing a battalion of contractors netted results.  By the end of 1962, the tower was 80 percent complete.  But Caroll couldn’t raise the additional funds desperately needed to finish the job.  In a bizarre omen that would be repeated decades later at the nearby Fountainbleau, the unfinished Landmark project sat idle for more than five years (the Fountainbleau disaster is now entering its 14th year, and counting).

So, where did Caroll get his money to finish the job?  Riding to the rescue was the Central Teamsters Pension Fund.  You do the math.

However, even the muscle of the Teamsters wasn’t enough.  Caroll, an inept businessman and/or the unluckiest man in Las Vegas began having labor issues.  Contractors weren’t paid.  Suppliers waited for months, then years, then sued.  The bills piling up faster than Caroll could count them.  Several “grand opening” dates were pushed back — at least six times by one count.  Delays were almost entirely due to the mismanagement of funds.

However, even with all the chaos, by the end of 1967, the Landmark’s opening was imminent given the massive investment of money and resources.  And that’s when the cruelest beat of all befell the man who envisioned it.  Just when he thought his troubles were behind him, Caroll was denied a casino license by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.  The reason given was Caroll’s shaky finances.  If he couldn’t pay the mattress company the $25,000 in beds that were delivered, how would the casino pay gamblers in the casino?  A whale on a hot streak might end up owning the joint, not that anyone would want to inherit the myriad of troubles swirling up and down and around the tower of disaster.

Caroll didn’t help his chances during a media tour of the Landmark pre-opening.  In a baffling incident, he got into a fistfight and beat up the project’s interior designer.  This happened right in front of reporters.  Nothing leads to “good press” like the spectacle of a casino owner pummeling the guy responsible for decorations.  As the tour was cut short, Caroll was arrested and charged with assault and battery.  The charges were later dropped after he agreed to withdraw his application for a casino license and essentially get the hell out of the gaming industry.

It was mid-1968, and the Landmark hadn’t even opened its doors yet!

What next?  What else could possibly go wrong?

Oh wait — how about this….a plane crash!

On the hot night of August 2, 1968, an airplane mechanic depressed by the break-up of his month-long marriage, stole a Cessna 180 airplane as part of a suicide plot.  Shaw flew the stolen plane toward the Landmark tower but inexplicably pulled up just before hitting it.  The plane scraped the top of the tower before crashing into the Las Vegas Convention Center across the street.  The pilot was killed instantly.

The Landmark’s troubles were only to get much worse.  As if things weren’t crazy enough already, the Landmark was finally sold.  The official grand opening was still six months away.

The new owner was Howard Hughes.

 

Coming in Part 2: The Grand Opening and Begining of the Howard Hughes Era

READ:  Nolan Dalla — Remembering Little Caesars

READ:  Nolan Dalla — Remembering the Castaways

READ:  Nolan Dalla — Remembering the Stardust

4 Comments

  1. These write-ups on casinos of the past are great. Thanks for posting them.

  2. Excellent article. I’ve looked into photos and save them but never really knew the true history. I was luck to get these pix because a lot of these hotels that were here and gone occurred either before I was born or I was too little to know anything about most of their “rise and fall”. This particular hotel I’ve seen in older photos of Las Vegas thinking this hotel design way ahead of it’s time and could have done better at the 1964-1965 Worlds Fair. That tower would have fit right in and most probably would have done much better financially! It might have become an active landmark and Hotel with phenomenal views of the New York Skyline. Actually that area for years could have done well in that area since there was nothing to compete with it especially in the 60’s and 70s. I wish I could have been around to see it. I’ve never even seen pix of what the rooms looked like
    Thank you for writing this article of a futuristic looking hotel which actually, if carried out the right way with thousands of people sharing memories of the great times the they experienced over the years in the Landmark!
    It is to me quite a sad story…
    Thank you.

    Evan Matthew

  3. Excellent article. I’ve looked into photos and save them but never really knew the true history. I was lucky to get these pix because a lot of these hotels that were here and gone occurred either before I was born or when I was too little to know anything about most of their “rise and falls. This particular hotel I’ve seen in older photos of Las Vegas thinking this hotel design way ahead of it’s time and could have done better at the 1964-1965 Worlds Fair. That tower would have fit right in and most probably would have done much better financially! Actually that area for years could have done well in that area since there was nothing to compete with it especially in the 60’s and 70s. I wish I could have been around to see it.
    Thank you for writing this article of a futuristic looking hotel which actually, if carried out the right way could have thousands of people sharing memories of the great times the they experienced over the years in the Landmark!
    It is to me quite a sad story…
    Thank you.

    Evan Matthew

  4. Excellent article. I’ve looked into photos and save them but never really knew the true history. I was lucky to get these pix because a lot of these hotels that were here and gone occurred either before I was born or when I was too little to know anything about most of their “rise and falls. This particular hotel I’ve seen in older photos of Las Vegas thinking this hotel design way ahead of it’s time and could have done better at the 1964-1965 Worlds Fair. That tower would have fit right in and most probably would have done much better financially! Actually that area for years could have done well in that area since there was nothing to compete with it especially in the 60’s and 70s. I wish I could have been around to see it.
    Thank you for writing this article of a futuristic looking hotel which actually, if carried out the right way could have thousands of people sharing memories of the great times the they experienced over the years in the Landmark!
    It is to me quite a sad story… I have never written an article regarding this hotel and I would not even have had the historical knowledge before this wonderful article was published.

    Thank you.

    Evan Matthew

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