#desert spa

[vintagelasvegas]

Dying grass and empty sign at Desert Spa, c. 1958/59

Slide scan from Vintage Roadside.

[electronicsquid]

Desert Spa, Las Vegas

(Loomis Dean. 1955)

[twyxcraft]

And this piece of desert bullshit is... a spa? Okay???

Next time, we leave the desert for the forest

[vintagelasvegas]

Las Vegas Strip, June 1955

Northbound filming the east side of the road - Desert Inn, Desert Spa, Riviera, Algiers, Thunderbird, and Sahara. Southbound filming the west side - Frontier, Silver Slipper.

Cashman’s garage billboard in the shape of a man pointing, at the 0:30 mark.

8mm home movie © Mike & Steel.

[vintagelasvegas]

1959. We’re at Silver Slipper, looking north towards the Texaco Fire Chief station. In the distance to the right is Desert Spa & El Playtel Motel. Low res via Wild Women

[twyxcraft]

Here we have some Savannah structures and (unfortunately) a sneak peek at Yet Another Piece of Desert Bullshit

Next time, we take a look at this mysterious mostly white building

[vintagelasvegas]

El Playtel & Desert Spa Motels c. 1949 on what is now the corner of Las Vegas Blvd & Convention Center Dr. 

[vintagelasvegas]

Alpine Village Inn, April 1960, adjacent to failed Desert Spa resort at the corner of the Strip & Fulcher Rd (Convention Center Dr). 

Far left – First traffic lights on the Strip. 

This signal at Las Vegas Blvd & Convention Center Dr was approved by the county in summer ‘59 and installed by Nevada Electric some time between then and early ‘60. Traffic signals on the Strip had been a cause of Jack Cortez, publisher of Fabulous Las Vegas Magazine, who continued advocating for more through the mid 60s. A signal was also installed at San Francisco Ave (Sahara Ave) only in the north-south directions.

“Suggestion to the County Commissioners: How about putting a left turn arrow signal on the traffic lights at San Francisco St and the Strip, for west and west traffic as well as north & south? Right now it's everybody for himself? This will save lives ... The toughest thing for a driver to do is to slow down to the speed limit after driving for five hours at breakneck speed coming here from Smogville. A traffic light is the best thing for slowing them down.” - Forest Duke, Visiting Fireman column, Review-Journal, 7/7/60

The other lights installed in Fall ’65 were located at intersections of today’s Circus Circus Dr and Elvis Presley Dr; Spring Mountain Rd; and Flamingo Rd.

A cross walk & street signs were installed Fall ‘65 at the site between Desert Inn and Frontier which figured prominently in the wrongful death suit of Hans Jaeggi, killed by a motorist on 3/7/61. The controversial location was the site of “several pedestrian accidents since then,” according to a report.  

Photo: Selinsky collection, Ansochrome slide scan by VLV. Sources: State Highway Department Bid Opening Listed. Review-Journal, 6/5/59; Deaths. Review-Journal, 3/9/61; Unavoidable Accident Ruled in Auto Death. Review-Journal, 3/15/61 p4; Six New Lights on Strip. Review-Journal, 10/16/65 p1; Dick Odessky. Fly on the Wall. Huntington Press.