Fitzgeralds

Fitzgeralds opened in 1980, downtown near Fremont Street, with up to 639 rooms. On the site today: The D Las Vegas (renamed in 2012).

The story

The building opened on 2 July 1980 as the Sundance Hotel, on land owned by Moe Dalitz, with his associates Al Sachs and Herb Tobman running the casino in name. After the pair faced skimming charges in 1983, Jackie Gaughan took over management until a sale. In 1987 it was sold and renamed Fitzgeralds, with a luck-of-the-Irish theme of shamrocks and a leprechaun. Don Barden bought it in December 2001, becoming the first African American casino owner in Las Vegas, and renovated it. After his death, his estate sold it in October 2011 to Derek and Greg Stevens, who spent $22 million turning it into The D Las Vegas in 2012. The 34-floor hotel still operates on Fremont Street.

• Opened1980
• RoomsUp to 639
• There nowThe D Las Vegas (renamed in 2012)

Nearby, also gone

• The Mint 1957–1988 · up to 300 roomsNow: Part of Binion's
• Las Vegas Club 1930–2015 · up to 410 roomsNow: Circa Resort & Casino
• Moulin Rouge Hotel 1955–1955 · up to 110 roomsNow: Empty land in Historic Westside; the first racially integrated casino in Las Vegas

Old Vegas: where to still see it

Facts from Fitzgeralds on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).