Las Vegas saw a tremendous amount of building during the 1950’s. The Desert Inn was opened in the year 1950 by a man named Wilbur Clark; he was once a hotel bellman. Now he would become a Las Vegas resort owner. It was just two years after the opening of The Desert Inn when Milton Prell would open the Sahara Hotel. Around that same time The Sands Hotel would open its doors. These hotels are still open today, although many ownership changes have taken place with each one of them.
1955 would become the year that Las Vegas would get its first ever high rise on the strip. At nine stories high, the Riviera Hotel would make history. This magnificent high rise would allow its guests a never before seen view of the area. The Riviera would be the tallest and most impressive building in Las Vegas ofr about a minute. No one would have ever been able to foresee the building and expansion that would happen in Las Vegas to make it one of the most famous cities in the world.
Many more hotels and megaresorts would be opened during this great growth of the 1950’s. Such hotels as Tropicana, Stardust, Hacienda, and the Downtown Freemont Hotel-Casino would all open their doors to excited guests during this era. Moulin Rouge also opened its doors; it accommodated all races at a time when African Americans were not welcomed to frequent the other hotels. In 1992 The Moulin Rouge was declared a historic site.