Arizona Charlie's Decatur
Encyclopedia
Arizona Charlie's Decatur is a 258 room casino hotel with a 59000 square feet (5,481.3 m²) locals casino
in the Charleston Heights area of Las Vegas
, Nevada
.
) are the results of original efforts by the Becker family, long established developers in Las Vegas. In 1963, just south of a shopping project on Decatur, between Charleston Blvd. and what was formerly West Fremont Street (presently now US 95), the Becker family built Charleston Heights Bowling, a bowling alley with 36 lanes and slot machines. Their son, Bruce Becker came to Las Vegas in 1971 and was put in charge of running Charleston Heights Bowling. He made the decision to expand the bowling alley into a casino. The casino's namesake was a distant relative, "Arizona" Charlie Meadows
, a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
. The $18 million casino resort opened in April 1988. It underwent a $40 million expansion in 1994, when the 31 year old bowling alley, Vons supermarket and former location of Pistol Pete's/Peter Piper's Pizza was destroyed to make way for a larger casino , quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite and local's hangout.
In November 1997 investor Carl Icahn
bought a majority of Arizona Charlie's mortgage notes, making him the bankrupt resort's largest creditor. Icahn fought for control of Arizona Charlie's throughout the bankruptcy process. In July 1998, Bruce Becker's $92 million loan from United Healthcare collapsed and ownership of the property passed to Carl Icahn and American Casino & Entertainment Properties (ACEP). In January 2000, American Casino & Entertainment Properties purchased Sunrise Suites on Clark County's Boulder Highway for $43.3 million. The property was renamed Arizona Charlie's Boulder, as a companion name to Arizona Charlie's Decatur. The two properties are 10.4 miles (16.7 km) apart, with a third ACEP property, Stratosphere Tower
located approximately midway between the two.
36.1635°N 115.2074°W
Locals casino
A locals casino is a casino designed primarily to attract residents of the area in which it was built rather than tourists or vacationers. The term is most commonly associated with casinos in Nevada, USA, to distinguish them from casinos that target mostly tourists in a central area.- Overview...
in the Charleston Heights area of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
History
Arizona Charlie's Decatur (and Arizona Charlie's BoulderArizona Charlie's Boulder
Arizona Charlie's Boulder Hotel & Casino is a 301 room hotel and a locals casino located in Paradise, Nevada. Owned by American Casino & Entertainment Properties, it is on Boulder Highway between the Boulder Station and the Sam's Town.-History:...
) are the results of original efforts by the Becker family, long established developers in Las Vegas. In 1963, just south of a shopping project on Decatur, between Charleston Blvd. and what was formerly West Fremont Street (presently now US 95), the Becker family built Charleston Heights Bowling, a bowling alley with 36 lanes and slot machines. Their son, Bruce Becker came to Las Vegas in 1971 and was put in charge of running Charleston Heights Bowling. He made the decision to expand the bowling alley into a casino. The casino's namesake was a distant relative, "Arizona" Charlie Meadows
"Arizona" Charlie Meadows
Abram Henson Meadows , also known as Charlie Meadows and Arizona Charlie, was an American showman and sharpshooter, and a contemporary of "Buffalo Bill" Cody whose Wild West Show inspired Meadows to pursue his own performing career.Meadows was born on March 10, 1859 in Visalia, California.Meadows...
, a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
. The $18 million casino resort opened in April 1988. It underwent a $40 million expansion in 1994, when the 31 year old bowling alley, Vons supermarket and former location of Pistol Pete's/Peter Piper's Pizza was destroyed to make way for a larger casino , quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite and local's hangout.
In November 1997 investor Carl Icahn
Carl Icahn
Carl Celian Icahn is an American business magnate and investor.-Biography:Icahn was raised in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York City, where he attended Far Rockaway High School. His father was a cantor, his mother was a schoolteacher...
bought a majority of Arizona Charlie's mortgage notes, making him the bankrupt resort's largest creditor. Icahn fought for control of Arizona Charlie's throughout the bankruptcy process. In July 1998, Bruce Becker's $92 million loan from United Healthcare collapsed and ownership of the property passed to Carl Icahn and American Casino & Entertainment Properties (ACEP). In January 2000, American Casino & Entertainment Properties purchased Sunrise Suites on Clark County's Boulder Highway for $43.3 million. The property was renamed Arizona Charlie's Boulder, as a companion name to Arizona Charlie's Decatur. The two properties are 10.4 miles (16.7 km) apart, with a third ACEP property, Stratosphere Tower
Stratosphere Las Vegas
Stratosphere Las Vegas is a tower, hotel, and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Its tower is also the tallest observation tower, and the 5th-tallest structure, in the United States, as well as being the tallest structure in Las Vegas.It is owned by Whitehall...
located approximately midway between the two.
External links
36.1635°N 115.2074°W