The Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino opened on May 24, 1955, as the first racially integrated hotel-casino in Las Vegas and the United States. Located in the Historic Westside, it was a key part of desegregation during a time when the Las Vegas Strip was segregated. The hotel featured entertainment by African American artists such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Armstrong, according to News3LV.
The hotel was originally planned to stay open only until October of that year. The original site now stands empty. The Moulin Rouge’s neon sign has been moved to The Neon Boneyard, where it is preserved. KTNV reports note that the site is now an empty lot, with only the frame of the original marquee remaining.
The Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1992 for its role in the civil rights movement and desegregation of Las Vegas, as stated by News3LV. The hotel operated for less than a year before closing. The building was damaged by multiple fires over the years, with the final fire occurring in 2017, as mentioned by KTNV.
