Las Vegas Moulin Rouge: The Never Ending Controversy Continues

LAS VEGAS - Nov. 26, 2017 - PRLog -- Many Nevada residents breathed a sigh of relief recently after learning that the county has decided not to purchase the 15-acre property on Bonanza Road. The county commissioners withdrew their winning 6.2 million dollar bid on Tuesday, November 21^st 2017.  Among the reasons given was a better understanding of the site's importance.  This puts an end to the plan for a Department of Social Services building on the premises.

Piece of History

The iconic location was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.  Many residents wonder how it could have ever been considered as a site for a county building.  Some question how people are willing to fight to hold on to hateful imagery, yet be willing to destroy a representation of peace.  As the first racially integrated casino in Las Vegas, the Moulin Rouge stood for inclusion and spearheaded integration on the Las Vegas Strip.

Charm Baker is author of the upcoming January 2018 release:  "Lights Out at the Moulin Rouge," a novel based on true events surrounding the controversial closing of the casino.  Baker says her particular interest in the casino's history was because of her fascination with the black chorus line dancers and entertainers of the time.

"Lights Out at the Moulin Rouge" makes a point of incorporating well documented facts about various events.  Some of the more debatable details are mentioned and left open to interpretation.  The book is not a dry cerebral discussion of the subject matter.  Instead, Baker describes the book by calling it: a combination of the Wizard of Oz meets Back to the Future.  She goes on to state that Readers will be carried along with the main character as she embarks on a journey to the iconic Moulin Rouge.  The book will be available for Pre-sale exclusively on Amazon, beginning December 1, 2017.  More Book Details can be found at:

http://charmbaker.com/moulin-rouge/

What Next for Bonanza Road

The question now is what happens to the property since the county bid is off the table.  According to Kevin Hanchett; accourt-appointed receiver for the property; the remaining bidders still have an opportunity to win the bid.  That means that: Spec Builders USA Inc., Real Estate Management Services LLC, and Las Vegas Moulin Rouge LLC. will all still have a fighting chance.

Each offer needs to at least match the former county bid of 6.2 million and may also need to included costly demolition fees.  So far as it currently stands, it appears that Spec Builders USA Inc. is anticipating being able to close by January 26, 2018.  All three entities bidding for the historic property have different visions in mind for it; therefore, there is no guarantee that residents will be seeing a brand new Moulin Rouge anytime soon.  According to Katherine Duncan, even those who intend to include entertainment as part of their plans, they will still require a lot of outside assistance for the lofty project.

Duncan is president of the Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce had this to say about it:  "I've worked with all of the developers that are vying for the project, and I don't believe anyone of them standing alone can make the project work."  If that statement is true, what it will mean for the property and local residents is anybody's guess.  Until the final word is in, once again Las Vegas residents will have to wait and see what the outcome will be for this historic strip of land.

SOURCE:

Las Vegas Review Journal

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/clark-county/clark-county-decides-not-to-buy-moulin-rouge-site/