Clark County has entered the bidding for the site of the historic Moulin Rouge casino in Las Vegas?the only one of four prospective buyers that doesn’t want to restore gambling to the property.
The county is offering $6.2 million for the 15 acres on Bonanza Road, where the Moulin Rouge had a brief but storied run in the 1950s as the only racially integrated resort in town. The county reportedly wants to place government offices there, and the receiver for the property has thrown his support behind plan.
“Sometimes it’s all about economics,” said Kevin Hanchett. “Sometimes it’s not.”
Fires, vandalism and failed redevelopment schemes have plagued the Moulin Rouge for decades while it stood mostly dormant and decaying until earlier this month when yet another blaze finally forced its demolition.
The other bidders believe the site is still viable as a gaming and entertainment venue.
Real Estate Management Services, which initially submitted a $6.2 million bid, wants to bring back the Moulin Rouge with what a spokesman has called a “heavy level of modernity”.
Another group, Spec Homes, has been working alongside the Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce on a plan to revive the property with an African American cultural center and museum, a hospitality training facility and a motel and shopping center.
The fourth bidder, Las Vegas Moulin Rouge LLC, offered $8 million but failed to pay a required deposit, according to Hanchett. “In effect, they dropped out,” he said.
