![]() Clark approached the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for investment, but it was struggling financially. Author Hal Rothman notes that "for nearly two years the framed structure sat in the hot desert sun, looking more like an ancient relic than a nascent casino". Wilbur Clark, described by Frank Sinatra biographer James Kaplan as a "onetime San Diego bellhop and Reno craps dealer", originally began building the resort with his brother in 1947 with $250,000, but ran out of money. The original name was Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn. The hotel was situated at 3145 Las Vegas Boulevard South, between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue. History Young women at the hotel pool in 1955 The hotel in 1956 The golf course is now a part of the Wynn resort. The property included an 18-hole golf course which hosted the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions from 1953 to 1966. Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut there on September 13, 1951, and became a regular performer. The original performance venue at the Desert Inn was the Painted Desert Room, later the Crystal Room, which opened in 1950 with 450 seats. Today, the Wynn and Encore are where the Desert Inn once stood. The remaining towers of the Desert Inn were imploded in 2004. In 1997, the Desert Inn underwent a $200 million renovation and expansion, but after it was purchased for $270 million by Steve Wynn in 2000, he decided to demolish it and build a new hotel and resort and casino. The Desert Inn was the first hotel in Las Vegas to feature a fountain at the entrance. The Palms Tower was completed in 1997 with the second and final renovation. Andrews Tower was completed during the first renovation in 1963, and the 14-story Augusta Tower became the Desert Inn's main tower when it was completed in 1978 along with the seven-story Wimbledon Tower. The casino, at 2,400 square feet (220 m 2), was one of the largest in Nevada at the time. The Desert Inn opened with 300 rooms and the Sky Room restaurant, headed by a chef formerly of the Ritz Paris, which once had the highest vantage point on the Las Vegas Strip. It was situated between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the fifth resort to open on the Strip, the first four being El Rancho Vegas, The New Frontier, the still-operating Flamingo, and the now-defunct El Rancho (then known as the Thunderbird). The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. 1993–1998 ITT / Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
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