Las Vegas NowMoulin Rouge Casino Fire In Las Vegas Was Arson, Authorities Say
Because the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the arsonist responsible could face federal prosecution.
Image from The City of Las Vegas Website
Photo by F. ANDREW TAYLOR (See Link Below: Tales of Vegas Past)(June 4 Update) -- Las Vegas fire investigators have announced the fire at the historic Moulin Rouge Hotel Casino was intentionally set. Channel Eight Eyewitness News reporter Jon Summers has the latest.
Authorities say arson caused a fire that destroyed the historic Moulin Rouge casino, the first integrated gambling spot in Las Vegas.
Federal and local authorities declined to say what sparked last week's blaze or pinpoint the origin of the fire. A Las Vegas Fire and Rescue spokesman says no arrests have been made in the case.
Property owner Bart Maybie suspects the fire was in retaliation for cracking down on drug activity at the Moulin Rouge apartments.
Maybie estimated damage between $5 million and $6 million dollars.
Maybie pledged to rebuild the casino, which opened in 1955 as the only integrated casino in Nevada.
Because the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the arsonist responsible could face federal prosecution.
Just yesterday dozens of residents displaced by the fire at the Moulin Rouge were given a new place to live. About 60 people were left homeless after the fire destroyed the Las Vegas landmark. The Red Cross provided them with shelter and food over the past week. Residents have now moved into other apartments on the property and for now some of them will have to share.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press.)
(May 30 Update) -- Federal agents have joined the search for clues into what started the devastating fire in the historic Moulin Rouge Casino. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms are working with local investigator at the scene.
Federal agents have joined the search for clues into what started the devastating fire in the historic Moulin Rouge Casino. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms are working with local investigator at the scene. Channel Eight Eyewitness News reporter Atle Erlingsson has the latest on the investigation.
(May 29: Update) -- Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are expected to arrive in Las Vegas this week to help investigate the fire at the historic Moulin Rouge casino. Officials say the fire caused more than $1 million dollars in damage to the former casino, which was the first integrated gambling spot in Las Vegas. The casino part of the property has been closed for years, but the hotel has been turned into apartments. The fire has forced about one hundred residents out of their homes.
(May 29) -- A historic casino that was once the only integrated gambling spot in Las Vegas and played host to the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. and Nat "King" Cole was destroyed in a fire Thursday.
Two people were injured and around 100 others were evacuated from apartments in what were once the Moulin Rouge casino's hotel rooms. The apartments were separate from the casino and weren't on fire.
The Moulin Rouge opened in 1955 as the first and only integrated casino in Nevada. Frank Sinatra, Cole and Davis were among headliners who appeared in the Club Rouge showroom.
The casino closed after only six months, but in 1960, city and gambling leaders met there to officially desegregate the Las Vegas Strip.
The long-closed property has had a string of owners and renovation plans — and has long been a focus of preservationists.
Firefighters arrived at the building north of downtown at shortly after 1 a.m. to find the roof engulfed in flames. The building was gutted.
One of the injured suffered smoke inhalation and the other complained of stomach pains, fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.
A damage estimate was not immediately available, and the cause of the fire was being investigated.
For more information about Preserve Nevada, contact Andrew Kirk or Mary Wammack, assistant director, at (702) 895-2908 or send an email to Preserve.Nevada@ccmail.nevada.edu
KLASTV Archived Coverage of the Moulin Rouge
Former Showgirl Recalls Working at Moulin Rouge
(Jan. 22) -- One place that has played an integral role in Las Vegas' integration was the Moulin Rouge. It was the first integrated casino here in the Valley, and it opened before segregation ended. The Moulin Rouge isn't a casino any more; just apartments and a hotel now. But one showgirl who...
Organization Lists 11 Endangered Historic Sites In Nevada
(May 13) -- A nonprofit group associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation says 11 Nevada historical places are in danger of being lost to development. "Preserve Nevada" lists the crumbling Moulin Rouge in Las Vegas -- built in 1955 as the city's first racially...
Moulin Rouge Listed in the National Register in 1992. The Moulin Rouge in Las Vegas was built in 1955 to serve African American entertainers who, because of the Jim Crow policies of Las Vegas resorts, were not allowed to stay in the hotels where they performed, or to openly socialize with the patrons. Although the Moulin Rouge was only open for five months, it helped pave the way for open accommodations in Las Vegas. The Moulin Rouge is currently privately owned, and is located in an area that is currently undergoing redevelopment. Without adequate funding to preserve the building, the owner may be forced to sell the building for development. |
Preserving Nevada's Heritage
(April 3) -- A number of historically significant sites here in Nevada are in danger of disappearing. Three of them are here in the Las Vegas Valley. Now an effort is under way to save them and others in other parts of the state. The project is called Preserve Nevada. There are several sites...
Owner Plans To Reopen Famed Moulin Rouge
(March 22) -- The new owner of the Moulin Rouge has some big plans for the historic property. Bart Maybie wants to restore the casino to its former glory of the mid-1950s. A number of people have owned the hotel since it opened in 1955, but no one has been able to make the resort the success it...
Moulin Rouge Might Reopen
(Dec. 22) -- A historic downtown property may be getting a much-needed financial boost. The owner of the Moulin Rouge is in talks with a group of black business owners about possibly renovating and operating the casino. A restaurant is already scheduled to open there early next year.
Moulin Rouge Related Links
Historic Preservation Links
(Parts of this story were supplied by the Associated Press, Copyright 2003 )
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Authorities in Las Vegas are asking for the public's help in locating a potential witness to a fire that destroyed the historic Moulin Rouge Casino. Fire officials say witnesses saw a man at the scene when the fire started. The man has been identified as Fred Lewis Ball, a 45-year-old man who may be homeless. He is described as African-American, six-foot three-inches, weighing about 164 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He may also be using the name "Bubba." More>>
