The Moulin Rouge and Black Rights in Las Vegas: A History of the First Racially Integrated Hotel-Cas

Editorial Reviews. About the Author. Earnest N. Bracey is a retired lieutenant colonel of the The Moulin Rouge and Black Rights in Las Vegas: A History of the First Racially Integrated Hotel-Casino - Kindle edition by Earnest N. Bracey.
Table of contents

Vegas Showgirls

The first desegregated hotel casino, it was popular with many of the black entertainers of the time, who would entertain at the other hotels and casinos and stay at the Moulin Rouge. The Hotel was named after the Paris nightclub, the Moulin Rouge.


  • Transnational Education: Issues and Trends in Offshore Higher Education!
  • Harry Potter and the Civil War;
  • My Holocaust: A Novel.

The hotel was located in West Las Vegas, where the black population lived. It was during this era that Vester Heath saw the need for an integrated hotel. This location placed it in a prime location between the predominantly white area of the Strip and the largely black west side. The complex itself consisted of two " Googie-populuxe " Modernist style stuccoed buildings that housed the hotel, the casino, and a theater.

Article Locations

The exterior had the hotel's name in stylized cursive writing and murals depicting dancing and fancy cars. The Moulin Rouge in Paris was a source of inspiration. When the casino opened the revue "Tropi Cancan," was inspired by the French Cancan, created in the 19th century to the Moulin Rouge Paris: When it opened, the Moulin Rouge was fully integrated top to bottom, from employees to patrons to entertainers.

The hotel made the June 20, , cover of Life magazine, with a photo of two showgirls. A veritable "A" list of performers regularly showed to party until dawn.

Many of these artists were banned from gambling or staying at the hotels on the Strip. Eventually management added a 2: In November the Moulin Rouge was closed by Sheriff's deputies. By December , the casino had declared bankruptcy. Many of those who enjoyed and were employed by the hotel became activists and supporters.

Upcoming Events

The hotel was also the spark needed to bring an end to segregation on the Strip. In , under threat of a protest march down the Las Vegas Strip against racial discrimination by Las Vegas casinos, a meeting was hurriedly arranged by then-Governor Grant Sawyer between hotel owners, city and state officials, local black leaders, and then- NAACP president Dr. The meeting was held on March 26 at the closed Moulin Rouge. This resulted in an agreement to desegregate all Strip casinos.

The Vegas Hotspot That Broke All the Rules | History | Smithsonian

Hank Greenspun , who would become an important media figure in the town, mediated the agreement. Although the Moulin Rouge complex remained shuttered for decades, many plans had been hatched to rebuild and reopen the cultural landmark. But on May 29, , a fire ripped through the buildings, almost entirely gutting the complex. In , a man arrested near the property was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of arson in connection with the fire. The stylized "Moulin Rouge" neon sign was turned back on. Following a February decision to tear down the structures as a public nuisance , the third fire in four years on May 6, , caused significant damage to the original hotel lobby building, but did not touch the remaining original exterior wall that held the signage.

However, a massive fire at the property in ultimately ended the rival efforts.

About Rosemary Pearce

Workers on Thursday, July 22, , demolished the tower of the first racially integrated casino in Las Vegas, one day after city officials turned down an appeal of its owners' demolition permit. Firefighters pour water on a vacant building that is part of the long-shuttered Moulin Rouge hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Wednesday, May 6, The Moulin Rouge was the first desegregated gambling hall in Las Vegas.

The Moulin Rouge and Black Rights in Las Vegas

It had hosted entertainers such as Sammy Davis Jr. The property is on the National Register of Historic Places.


  1. The Moulin Rouge and Black Rights in Las Vegas – McFarland.
  2. Government Public Relations: A Reader (Public Administration and Public Policy);
  3. SearchWorks Catalog.
  4. Einhundert Gedichte (German Edition)!
  5. View the discussion thread. Skip to main content. How to reach us S. Search Enter your keywords.