The "Bugsy" Building - Las Vegas Blvd. - Las Vegas, NV
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 36° 06.991 W 115° 10.247
11S E 664628 N 3998421
This is the site where Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel it started it all by opening a hotel in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Waymark Code: WMFM98
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 11/02/2012
Views: 12
The plaque says "On this site Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel's original Flamingo Hotel stood from December 26, 1944 until December 14, 1993.
The hotel, which housed 77 rooms, including the notorious Mr. Siegel's “Bugsy Suite” or “Presidential Suite” as it was sometimes referred to, was unique in more way than one. The windowpanes, for instance, were bullet proof, and, although there was only one entrance to the top-floor suite, there were five possible exits. This included a hidden ladder from the hallway closet to a basement tunnel, which lead to an underground garage which Bugsy allegedly had a chauffeured getaway car awaiting at all times.
But Mr. Siegel’s preoccupation with safety and escape routes proved to be geographically misplaced. On June 20, 1947, 300 miles from Las Vegas at the Beverly Hills mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, Bugsy was killed in a hail of gunfire from unknown assailants.
Since that day, The Flamingo has changed ownership 3 times, including final sale from Kirk Kerkorian to the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1970."
Program: America's Byways
Website: [Web Link]
Official Name: City of Las Vegas, Las Vegas Boulevard National Scenic Byway
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give a brief description of your visit. Maybe why you were there, what you found interesting, or something along those lines. Photos are also encouraged. Although the only requirement to log a visit to a waymark in this category is to physically visit the location, the photos and extra information you can provide about the area is very helpful to future visitors.