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All that’s left of the Moulin Rouge casino on the Westside of Las Vegas is a retaining wall on an empty lot and a sign that’s part of the exhibit at Neon Museum Las Vegas.
All that could change, though. Trypto Business Solutions, a Las Vegas-based tech firm, announced it committed $2 billion to funding the rebuilding of the historic casino and redevelopment of Las Vegas’ Westside.
Trypto’s management team spoke with local media about the project.
“This is not going to take millions this is going to take billions, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” Trypto Chief Operating Officer Howie Palmer said. “I don’t invest in projects, buildings, things. I invest in people. When I have a purpose of doing something, I get focused. When I make a decision, I never make a second one.”
Located on Nevada’s Westside, Moulin Rouge was the first casino hotel in Las Vegas to integrate. That occurred in an era of segregation when, in addition to barring Black patrons from casinos and hotels, Black entertainers were banned from casino floors and dining areas.
Moulin Rouge development promise has predecessor
Trypto’s new effort to rebuild the Moulin Rouge is the second such effort in the past six years. In 2016, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony for a Moulin Rouge redevelopment. However, funding for that project fell through.
In 2020, an Australian-based company bought the property and promised to rebuild the historic casino. However, the lot sits empty.
Trypto said it plans to use some of its funding to sue the Australian company and regain ownership of the land.
If all goes as planned, Trypto and its partners would build a 200-room hotel and casino. It wouldn’t be the only casino development in the city currently ongoing, however. Earlier this month, the Clark County Zoning Commission approved plans for a new casino on Las Vegas Blvd. and Harmon Ave.
Moulin Rogue’s glory slowly crumbled over the years
Like so many cities across the country, Las Vegas was a heavily segregated city. With the evil of segregation pervading The Strip, Black business owners and residents took their business to the Westside and created their own strip on Jackson Avenue.
The Moulin Rogue casino and hotel emerged as a key part of the Westside’s bustling development. It was a flagship property both for entertainment and integration. When it opened in 1955, Moulin Rouge became the only racially integrated casino in the city.
Sadly, it closed just six months after opening. However, the property hosted another historical moment just five years later. In 1960, area leaders came together and decided to desegregate downtown Las Vegas and The Strip.
Since the 60s, the Moulin Rogue has had more downs than ups. It endured multiple fires, changes of purpose, and failed attempts to rebuild it. The City of Las Vegas Historic Property and the National of Historic Places added the Moulin Rouge in 1992. In 2010 and 2011, the city demolished the property out of safety concerns.
Casino rebuild is part of a bigger program to revitalize historically Black community
Rebuilding the Moulin Rouge is part of a bigger city initiative to restore Las Vegas’ Westside. Titled the “HUNDRED Plan,” the project would, among other things, “honor the history” of the Moulin Rouge site “with a new development that creates a new kind of Moulin Rouge landmark.”
The plan noted that Westside residents hope to see a “mixed-use site welcoming housing, entertainment, and workforce/education components” on the property.
In addition to the Moulin Rouge redevelopment, the HUNDRED Plan would:
- Rebuild and revitalize Jackson Street
- Bring businesses and housing to vacant lots
- Develop Washinton Avenue into an entertainment hub featuring live music
- Build biking, walking, and driving infrastructure
- Reclaim James Gay Park
- Add community amenities and housing along the outskirts of the Westside
