Sands Hotel

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The Sands Hotel was an historic Las Vegas Strip hotel/casino that operated from December 15, 1952 to June 30, 1996. Designed by architect Wayne McAllister, the Sands was the seventh resort that opened on the Strip.

During its heyday, the Sands was the center of entertainment and cool on the Strip, and hosted many famous entertainers of the day. Regulars were able to mingle with the stars in the lounge after their late-night shows.

In its final years, the Sands became a shadow of its former self--a throwback to the old days, and it ultimately could not compete with the newer and more exciting megaresorts that were being built on the Strip. The decision was eventually made by its final owner, Sheldon Adelson, to shut it down and to build a brand new resort. On November 26, 1996, it was imploded[1] and demolished much to the dismay of longtime employees and sentimentalists. The Las Vegas scenes of Con Air were filmed at the Sands prior to its demolition.

In its time, the Sands was located next door to the Desert Inn. The two adjacent properties were once owned by reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes in the mid-1960s. Today, the The Venetian stands where the Sands once stood. [2]

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[edit] History

The hotel first began as just a casino with a few hundred rooms.

The hotel was designed by architect Wayne McAllister. It was founded by Jakie Friedman of Houston, Texas, grandfather of Houston socialite Carolyn Farb.

Its most famous claim to fame was a 3-week period in 1960 when, during the filming of the movie Ocean's Eleven, they organized an event in the Copa Room called the “Summit at the Sands”, where for the first time Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford performed on stage together. They would forever be known after that as the Rat Pack. Sinatra would also own a stake in the Sands for a time.

The circular tower was added in 1967 by architect Martin Stern, Jr.

When Howard Hughes purchased the hotel in the mid-1960s, a 500-room tower was added and the hotel became a Vegas landmark. Kirk Kerkorian (MGM) bought the hotel in 1988, and seven months later in 1989 it was purchased by the owners of The Interface Group - Sheldon Adelson, Richard Katzeff, Ted Cutler, Irwin Chafetz, and Jordan Shapiro.

With the Sands gone, its casino chips are valuable due to the casino's legendary musical history, with the average $1.00 chip fetching around $30.00. Some rarer chips reach hundreds, and sometimes over $1,000.00.

[edit] Film history

The 1960 version of Ocean's Eleven was filmed here. Footage of the demolition also appeared in the closing credits of The Cooler. The climactic plane crash in 1997's "Con Air" wound up with the aircraft crashing into the soon-to-be-demolished Sands' lobby.

[edit] Musical legacy

Frank Sinatra (Sinatra at the Sands), Sammy Davis, Jr. (The Sounds of '66, That's All!), Tommy Sands, Nat King Cole and Count Basie (a posthumous set, also recorded during the Sinatra at the Sands stand) were among those who recorded live albums at the Sands.

Legends of the Copa Room The greatest names in the entertainment industry graced the Copa Room Stage. (The showroom at the Sands) The likes of Judy Garland, Lena Horne, (she was billed at the Sands as "The Satin Doll") Jimmy Durante, Marlene Dietrich, Tahlullah Bankhead, Bobby Darrin, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis along with "The Copa Girls". These were only a few of the legendary entertainers to not only perform at the Sands, but in all the showrooms along the Strip, from the late 40's until the ealy 90's. As recently as the early 90's, the public could sit ringside in a showroom holding no more than five hundred, paying as little as 3 dollars in the 50's up to 25.50 in the early 90's for the likes of Liza Minnelli, Shirley Maclaine and Diana Ross.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Property History. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
  2. ^ Contact Us. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.

[edit] External links

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