Famous Las Vegas Casino Closed

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

James Walker says the current situation may change, as he continues to work on deals to save the historic Moulin Rouge.

Walker said he is not at liberty to discuss any possible deals.

Earlier this year, the Las Vegas City Council promised to apply for a $3 million loan for the Moulin Rouge from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The owners had to come up with an additional $200,000 and meet a number of other conditions by mid-August. The deadline was extended another 60 days.

Terrie Stanfill, manager of the city's neighborhood development division, said Walker tried everything to raise the money and city officials wanted the deal to work.

When the deadline and then the extension passed, city staff recommended withdrawal of the loan application and wrote Walker requesting his presence at a Dec. 18 council meeting. A final decision on the application is expected at that time.

The Moulin Rouge opened in May 1955. It was a place where black visitors and local residents were welcome, at a time when even headline performers were ushered in through back entrances of Las Vegas hotels.

In 1960, an agreement to desegregate the Las Vegas Strip was signed at the Moulin Rouge. In the intervening years several owners have tried and failed to revive the casino.

Walker, his mother Sarann Knight Preddy, and her husband bought the Moulin Rouge 11 years ago and have kept it open while trying to find money to restore it to its former glory.