The Silver Slipper was a casino in

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the f ...

, that operated from September 1950 to November 29, 1988. The building was designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr.

History

Opened in 1950, the casino was built on the grounds of the Last Frontier Village of the

Hotel Last Frontier The New Frontier (formerly Hotel Last Frontier and The Frontier) was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The property began as a casino and dance club known as Pair O' Dice, opened in 1931. It was sold in 1941, and inco ...

, and was originally named the Golden Slipper Saloon and Gambling Hall. The owner originally wanted to call it the Silver Slipper, but there already was an existing establishment with that name. The problem was solved when that small operation was purchased and closed, and the Golden Slipper became the Silver Slipper. The casino was known for its rotating slipper that sat atop the casino. In April 1964, the casino became the first in Nevada to be shut down on cheating charges. Agents raided the Silver Slipper for using "flat" dice and for having other rigged games. On April 30, 1968, the Silver Slipper was purchased by businessman

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

for $5.4 million in his famous spending spree of buying Vegas properties, which included the

Frontier A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts ...

next door. He purchased the casino because he was afraid that the toe of the slipper, that faced the window of his

Desert Inn 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. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was th ...

penthouse, could contain a photographer taking pictures of him. After several attempts at requesting that the slipper be turned off, Hughes purchased the casino, turned off the lights and had the rotating mechanism dismantled. The Silver Slipper was sealed, so no one could enter. The casino was purchased for $70 million on June 23, 1988 by Margaret Elardi, who by this time owned the Frontier. It was demolished several months later and turned into a parking lot for the Frontier until its closing and demolition in 2007. There were plans to build an addition to the Frontier on its former grounds; however, they had to eventually be scrapped due to a costly union strike taking place, which put a severe financial strain on the resort. File:Las Vegas (36618839225).jpg , Silver Slipper logo and sign File:Neon Museum (12626459444).jpg , Silver Slipper sign at

Neon Museum The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on 2.62 acres. The museum features a restored lobby shell from the defunct La Concha Motel as its visitors' center, whic ...

File:Silver slipper from Silver Slipper Hotel. Neon Boneyard Vegas. (6217004040).jpg , Restored slipper In 2009, the Silver Slipper sign was restored and is now part of a display of vintage signs in the median along Las Vegas Boulevard North.

References

{{Las Vegas casinos Defunct casinos in the Las Vegas Valley Casinos completed in 1950 1988 disestablishments Las Vegas Strip 1950 establishments in Nevada