Sketchy Abandoned Vegas Motels, and Their Uncertain Future

Beyond the glitz and glamor of the strip, A half mile east of old downtown is a cluster of abandoned motels essentially frozen in time. They had names like the Star View and the Lucky, one story themed buildings wrapped around parking lots and swimming pools, their neon signs harkening back to a mid century vegas boom. It’s been 80 years since the first motels appeared on East Fremont Street, and thanks to a mix of neighborhood economic change and the later rise of some unlikely allies, these here exist almost unchanged since their opening. But that doesn’t mean everything is alright - they are here not because they’ve been preserved but rather ignored, no longer occupied by the transient residents of the past, but not yet seeing the promise of neighborhood renewal. So what will become of these buildings? Let’s look at the past, present, and possible future of the motels of East Fremont Street.

SOURCES | FURTHER READING

https://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...
  / why_did_all_the_motels_close_on_fremont_st  
https://siegelcompanies.com/east-frem...
https://www.thed.com/blog/evolution-f...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/us...
https://www.hemispheresmag.com/inspir...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/us...
https://archive.org/details/010112-001 Footage Prelinger Archives


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