| Desert Inn Hotel and Casino | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The Desert Inn in 1968 | |
  | |
| Location | Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 3145 South Las Vegas Blvd |
| Opening date | April 24, 1950 |
| Closing date | August 28, 2000 |
| Theme | Desert |
| No. of rooms | 715 |
| Total gaming space | 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) |
| Signature attractions | Desert Inn Golf Course |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | 1964–1967 Moe Dalitz 1967–1988 Howard Hughes 1988–1993 Kirk Kerkorian 1993–1998 ITT / Sheraton Hotels and Resorts 1998–2000 Starwood 2000 Steve Wynn[1] |
| Architect | Hugh E. Taylor (1950) William B. Tabler (1963) John Spohrer (1978) |
| Previous names | Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn, Sheraton Desert Inn |
| Coordinates | 36°07′43″N 115°9′59″W / 36.12861°N 115.16639°W |
The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the fifth resort to open on the Strip, the first four being El Rancho Vegas, The New Frontier, Flamingo, and the El Rancho (then known as the Thunderbird). It was situated between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue.
The Desert Inn opened with 300 rooms and the Sky Room restaurant, headed by a chef formerly of the Ritz Paris, which once had the highest vantage point on the Las Vegas Strip. The casino, at 2,400 square feet (220 m2), was one of the largest in Nevada at the time. The nine-story St. Andrews Tower was completed during the first renovation in 1963, and the 14-story Augusta Tower became the Desert Inn's main tower when it was completed in 1978 along with the seven-story Wimbledon Tower. The Palms Tower was completed in 1997 with the second and final renovation. The Desert Inn was the first hotel in Las Vegas to feature a fountain at the entrance. In 1997, the Desert Inn underwent a $200 million renovation and expansion, but after it was purchased for $270 million by Steve Wynn in 2000, he decided to demolish it and build the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino where the Desert Inn once stood, and later, Encore. The remaining towers of the Desert Inn were imploded in 2004.
The original performance venue at the Desert Inn was the Painted Desert Room, later the Crystal Room, which opened in 1950 with 450 seats. Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut there on September 13, 1951, and became a regular performer. The property included an 18-hole golf course which hosted the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions from 1953 to 1966. The golf course remained in place and is now a part of the Wynn resort.[2]
- ^ "Wynn Buys Desert Inn as Gift for Wife". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 2000.
- ^ Matuszewski, Erik (November 12, 2018). "Wynn Golf Club In Las Vegas To Re-Open In 2019 After Being Closed For Development". Forbes. Retrieved December 15, 2018.