Las Vegas Magnets
Description: The Pioneer Club occupied a building that was built in 1918 and originally served as a restaurant. The Pioneer Club Casino and Cocktail lounge opened in April 1942 on the corner of 1st Street and Fremont Street. 'Vegas Vic' was added to the exterior of the building in 1951, changing the exterior of The Pioneer club forever. Although the Pioneer Club ceased operations as a casino in 1995, Vegas Vic (The 40 ft neon cowboy) and the Pioneer Club signage live on as a true Las Vegas landmarks above what is now a large souvenir store.
Description: Riviera (colloquially, "the Riv") was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada, which operated from April 1955 to May 2015. The casino was first proposed by Detroit mobster William Bischoff as the Casa Blanca, and received a gaming license in 1952. Bischoff later withdrew from the project, which was taken over by Miami businessman Samuel Cohen. By March 1955, Cohen, identified as a member of Miami's S & G gambling syndicate, was no longer part of the investment group, though rumors persisted that he secretly maintained an involvement. Marx Brothers Harpo and Gummo held minority interests at the opening.
Description: The long gone Alpine Village Inn was located at 3003 Paradise Road, across the street from the Las Vegas Hilton. This famous place began serving German food in a downtown location in 1950, then moved four times before settling into its final location on Paradise, in 1970. This was a favorite place for locals and visitors alike to get a hot bowl of chicken soup, cold beer in a goblet, and seasoned cottage cheese to go with a small loaf of bread. The main 250-seat dining room was looked like of a Bavarian village, with wrought-iron grill-work, sloping roofs, the male staff workers all wore lederhosen and the waitresses wore long skirts like they just stepped off a St. Pauli Girl bottle.
