Abstract
UNLV Libraries Collection of Fitzgeralds Hotel and Casino Promotional and Publicity Materials includes newspaper and magazine clippings, a press kit, and promotional materials for Fitzgeralds in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Tunica, Mississippi, dating from 1991 to 2001.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
UNLV Libraries Collection of Fitzgeralds Hotel and Casino Promotional and Publicity Materials includes newspaper and magazine clippings, a press kit, and promotional materials for the Fitzgeralds in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Tunica, Mississippi, dating from 1991 to 2001. This collection contains items previously described as "Promotional and publicity material : Fitzgerald's Casino Hotel" and "Promotional and publicity material : Fitzgeralds Casino Tunica."
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials arranged by material type.
Biographical / Historical Note
Fitzgeralds Hotel and Casino was located on the southeastern corner of the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. Originally known as the Sundance Hotel, the property was owned by Moe Dalitz from 1980 to 1987, at which point he sold it to the Lincoln Management Group. The Lincoln Management Group renamed the property Fitzgeralds Las Vegas. The company would rename itself Fitzgeralds Gaming Corporation years later in 1994. Fitzgeralds Hotel and Casino’s theme was heavily influenced by Irish mythology and culture, including the use of leprechauns, shamrocks, rainbows, pots of gold, and the color green inside the property and in promotional material. Notably, a 34-foot statue of the Fitzgeralds' mascot, Mr. O'Lucky, stood at the casino’s entrance. The hotel and casino struggled financially in the late 1990s before filing for bankruptcy in December of 2001. The Majestic Star Casino LLC, owned by Don Barden, bought the Fitzgeralds out of bankruptcy. The sale also included Fitzgeralds properties in Tunica, Mississippi, and Black Hawk, Colorado. Don Barden operated Fitzgeralds until his death in 2011. His estate sold the Fitzgeralds to brothers Derek and Greg Stevens, majority owners of the nearby Golden Gate Casino on the Fremont Street Experience. The Stevens renovated the hotel at a cost of $22 million, and in the Fall of 2012 rebranded the Fitzgeralds as the D Hotel & Casino.
Source:
"Fitzgeralds in Bankruptcy, Three Casinos Being Sold."
Ryan, Cy. "Stevens Brothers Get Approval of Fitzgeralds Purchase, Say They're Planning Upgrades."
Strow, David. "Bankruptcy Likely for LV Casino Company."
Preferred Citation
UNLV Libraries Collection of Fitzgeralds Hotel and Casino Promotional and Publicity Materials, 1991-2001. MS-00949. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were acquired periodically by UNLV Special Collections and Archives from a variety of sources; accession number 2019-067.
Processing Note
In 2019, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Miguel Dominguez and Autumn Bassett compiled the materials from multiple sources that included subject files and previously cataloged material. Autumn Bassett wrote the finding aid.