By Emily Beach
History of the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas
The New Frontier Hotel was the second hotel built on the land that would eventually become the
Las Vegas Strip. It was an early Vegas landmark and hosted some of the biggest entertainment acts in the world during its peak. Compared with modern Vegas
resorts, the New Frontier was relatively small, with fewer than 1,000 rooms. The hotel has been closed since 2007 as developers plan a replacement project for the site.
R.E. Griffith
In the early 1940s, Texas magnate R.E. Griffith made plans to build a large resort hotel in Deming, New Mexico. During a cross-country trip, he passed through Las Vegas and was impressed by the many opportunities he saw for development. Griffith scrapped his plans for Deming and decided to move his project to Las Vegas.
Last Frontier
In 1941, the El Rancho Hotel was the only resort in Las Vegas. Griffith added his project south of El Rancho to help attract visitors. He chose a "Wild West" theme and got to work making plans. Unfortunately, World War II caused strict rationing during this time period, making it difficult to find materials. Griffith purchased old mines and ranches, and bought items from abandoned ghost towns to complete his project. He also incorporated the two existing nightclubs into his new resort. The Hotel Last Frontier opened in October 1942.
Expansion
In 1950, hotel management purchased 42 nearby acres at a cost of $1 million to allow for expansion. The next year the Golden Slipper Saloon and Gambling Hall opened, providing the first gaming opportunities at the Last Frontier. By 1954, management felt that the western theme had grown stale. They added the New Frontier Hotel next to the existing resort. The New Frontier was equipped with an outer space theme, complete with aliens and flying saucers.
Pop Culture
In 1955, a young man named Ronald Reagan performed a series of stand-up acts at the New Frontier. The next year, a singer named Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut on the same stage, though he received a poor reception. He was joined on stage by an unknown entertainer named Liberace, who would go on to become a Vegas legend. In 1970, Diana Ross and the Supremes played their final show ever at the New Frontier.
Sale and Implosion
By the end of the 20th century, the hotel had changed hands several times. Billionaire Howard Hughes took ownership in 1967 and changed the property's name to "The Frontier." Developer Phil Ruffin took over in 1998 and changed the name back. As newer and larger hotels took over The Strip in the 1990s and early this century, the New Frontier fell out of favor. It was closed on July 16, 2007, and imploded on Nov. 13 of that year. The Plaza Hotel Group is planning to build a Las Vegas version of their landmark New York hotel on the site.
Resources
About the Author:
Emily Beach works in the commercial construction industry in Maryland. She received her LEED accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2008 and is in the process of working towards an Architectural Hardware Consultant certification from the Door and Hardware Institute. She received a bachelor's degree in economics and management from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland.
Photo Credits:
Creative Commons
