Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement
Encyclopedia
Downtown Las Vegas
Downtown Las Vegas is the central business district of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the original gambling district of Las Vegas, prior to the Strip, and the area still incorporates downtown gaming.-Tourism:...
Las Vegas, Nevada
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...
, planned to open in February 2012. It is housed in the historic Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse
Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse
Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse is a Neo-classical building located in Las Vegas, Nevada that is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.- History :The building was erected between 1931 and 1933, opening on November 27, 1933...
.
Under the creative direction of Dennis Barrie, co-creator of the International Spy Museum
International Spy Museum
The International Spy Museum is a privately owned museum dedicated to the field of espionage located within the 1875 Le Droit Building in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across the street from the Old Patent Office Building and one block south of the Gallery Place Metro...
in Washington D.C., and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in Cleveland, the museum is further being developed by a non-profit board, known as the "300 Stewart Avenue Corporation," in partnership with the City 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...
. The museum will be dedicated to the contentious relationship between organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
and law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
within the historical context of Las Vegas and the entire United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Featured in the museum will be the restored courtroom where the Kefauver Committee on organized crime held one of its hearings in 1950, and the blood-stained wall in front of which the St. Valentine's Day massacre
St. Valentine's Day massacre
The Saint Valentine's Day massacre is the name given to the 1929 murder of 7 mob associates as part of a prohibition era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago: the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran. Former members of the...
took place. Other exhibits will focus on mob violence, casino money skimming operations, and wiretapping by law enforcement.
History
In 2000, the federal government sold the former Las Vegas Post Office and CourthouseLas Vegas Post Office and Courthouse
Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse is a Neo-classical building located in Las Vegas, Nevada that is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.- History :The building was erected between 1931 and 1933, opening on November 27, 1933...
to the city for $1, with the stipulation that it be used for cultural purposes.
Mayor Oscar Goodman
Oscar Goodman
Oscar Baylin Goodman is an American lawyer and politician. He was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. Mayor Goodman is an Independent and a former member of the Democratic Party.-Biography:...
, himself a former attorney for Mafia figures, had the idea for a mob museum in 2002. The idea faced early opposition from Italian-American groups, while being supported by the FBI, including the former head agent in Las Vegas, Ellen Knowlton, who joined as president of the museum's board.
The project budget was estimated at $50 million, including $26 million for restoring the building. Funding included federal, state, and local grants. Goodman generated controversy by suggesting that federal stimulus money
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
could be used for the museum.
External links
The Mob Museum36.1728°N 115.1412°W