Harrah's Lake Tahoe
Encyclopedia
Harrah's Lake Tahoe, is a resort
casino
, in South Lake Tahoe
, at Stateline, Nevada
. It is branded with the name of its former owner William Fisk Harrah
and owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The 18-story tower and 525 rooms, plus 65000 sq ft (6,038.7 m²) of casino make it one of the largest resorts at South Lake Tahoe.
when William F. Harrah
purchased George's Gateway Club in January 1955 for $500,000 and Harrah’s Lake Club opened June 20, 1955. This is now Harveys Lake Tahoe
.
In 1956 Harrah’s Lake Club was sold for $5,250,000 in cash to Harvey Gross, which at the time was the most expensive casino purchase ever. In 1958 Harrah acquired an interest in the Stateline Country Club
and Nevada Club across the street (Harrah's current location) and opened Harrah's Stateline Club.
Also in 1956, a new radio station, KOWL
, had its original radio studio inside the Harrah's Stateline Club. They were located on the upper floor. The station's transmitter and broadcast tower were roughly two miles south of the casino in South Lake Tahoe, California
.
The South Shore Room opened at Harrah's Tahoe in 1959 at a cost of $3.5 million. This 750 seat showroom, whose opening act was comedian Red Skelton
, made entertainment a priority at Harrah's and saw entertainers such as Danny Thomas
, Jimmy Durante
, Tennessee Ernie Ford
, George Gobel
, Wayne Newton
, Lawrence Welk
, Bill Cosby
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
, Bob Dylan
& Frank Sinatra
, among others.
In 1963 Barry Keenan, Joseph Amsler and John Irwin abducted Frank Sinatra, Jr.
the 19-year-old son of singer Frank Sinatra
.
Portions of the Bette Midler
film Jinxed!
were shot on location at the hotel in summer 1981 for the summer 1982 release of the film. Other locations used in the film were Harrah's in Reno and the Harrah's Auto Museum also in Reno.
Bill Harrah had been planning to build a hotel at Lake Tahoe for many years, but had been hindered by costs. However in 1971, when Harrah's went public, he finally had the finances available to build his dream hotel. In 1972 Harrah broke ground on his $25 million, 18-story, 250 room hotel which opened November 9, 1973. Each 500 sq ft (46.5 m²) room was furnished with a fully stocked bar, bay windows, 2 bathrooms with TVs and telephones. Harrah's Lake Tahoe earned the first five-star diamond rating in casino history.
The hotel was later expanded with 290 additional rooms in 1976.
In 2000 Harrah’s completed a $26 million dollar renovation to update the casino, hotel rooms and restaurants on the 18th floor including the Forest Buffet and Friday’s Station.
On December 3, 2005, a shootout occurred in a private booth near the casino floor. One person was killed, and two Douglas County Sheriff's Deputies were injured.
Caesars Entertainment Corp began a major effort to remodel and revitalize Harrah's Lake Tahoe beginning in 2005, they remodeled floors 12-15 of the hotel and remade the rooms in mini suites with large couches, dry bars and brand new decor and furniture. The remodel was completed in mid 2006. Following the hotel remodel, Caesars completely remodeled the hotel's lobby and added a food court and luxury diamond outlet signature to Caesars called "Park Place Jewelers" in 2007. In 2008, Caesars added an upscale, luxury Chinese/Cantonese restaurant called "Gi Fu Loh" to cater to their Asian customers. Efforts to renovate have made Harrah's Lake Tahoe the hotel to be at and is ranked as classiest out of the four casinos in Stateline.
38.959425°N 119.941628°W
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, in South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe, California
South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The population was 21,403 at the 2010 census, down from 23,609 at the 2000 census...
, at Stateline, Nevada
Stateline, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,215 people, 510 households, and 245 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,803.3 people per square mile . There were 562 housing units at an average density of 834.1 per square mile...
. It is branded with the name of its former owner William Fisk Harrah
William F. Harrah
William Fisk Harrah was an American businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos.-Early years and education:...
and owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The 18-story tower and 525 rooms, plus 65000 sq ft (6,038.7 m²) of casino make it one of the largest resorts at South Lake Tahoe.
History
Harrah's was first established in Lake TahoeLake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
when William F. Harrah
William F. Harrah
William Fisk Harrah was an American businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos.-Early years and education:...
purchased George's Gateway Club in January 1955 for $500,000 and Harrah’s Lake Club opened June 20, 1955. This is now Harveys Lake Tahoe
Harveys Lake Tahoe
Harveys Lake Tahoe is a resort located in Stateline, Nevada. The hotel has 740 rooms and suites, as well as six restaurants, and a casino with of space. The hotel also has a wedding chapel, pool, convention center, and a full-service health club...
.
In 1956 Harrah’s Lake Club was sold for $5,250,000 in cash to Harvey Gross, which at the time was the most expensive casino purchase ever. In 1958 Harrah acquired an interest in the Stateline Country Club
Stateline Country Club
The Stateline Country Club, just inside the state border in what is now Stateline, Nevada started as a small cafe with a pair of gas pumps. Inside, visitors enjoying the early 1930s at Lake Tahoe could find a soda fountain bar and a few tables to enjoy a meal...
and Nevada Club across the street (Harrah's current location) and opened Harrah's Stateline Club.
Also in 1956, a new radio station, KOWL
KOWL
KOWL is a radio station licensed to serve South Lake Tahoe, California, USA. The station, established in 1956, is currently owned by Cherry Creek Radio and the broadcast license is held by CCR-Lake Tahoe IV, LLC.-Programming:...
, had its original radio studio inside the Harrah's Stateline Club. They were located on the upper floor. The station's transmitter and broadcast tower were roughly two miles south of the casino in South Lake Tahoe, California
South Lake Tahoe, California
South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The population was 21,403 at the 2010 census, down from 23,609 at the 2000 census...
.
The South Shore Room opened at Harrah's Tahoe in 1959 at a cost of $3.5 million. This 750 seat showroom, whose opening act was comedian Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
, made entertainment a priority at Harrah's and saw entertainers such as Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
, George Gobel
George Gobel
George Leslie Gobel was an American comedian and actor. He was best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, which ran from 1954 to 1960 .-Early years:He was born George Leslie Goebel in Chicago, Illinois, His father, Hermann Goebel, was a...
, Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
, Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
, Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
& Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, among others.
In 1963 Barry Keenan, Joseph Amsler and John Irwin abducted Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
the 19-year-old son of singer Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
.
Portions of the Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
film Jinxed!
Jinxed!
Jinxed! is a 1982 comedy-drama film starring Bette Midler, Rip Torn and Ken Wahl. Directed by Don Siegel, the veteran filmmaker would suffer a heart attack during the troubled production...
were shot on location at the hotel in summer 1981 for the summer 1982 release of the film. Other locations used in the film were Harrah's in Reno and the Harrah's Auto Museum also in Reno.
Bill Harrah had been planning to build a hotel at Lake Tahoe for many years, but had been hindered by costs. However in 1971, when Harrah's went public, he finally had the finances available to build his dream hotel. In 1972 Harrah broke ground on his $25 million, 18-story, 250 room hotel which opened November 9, 1973. Each 500 sq ft (46.5 m²) room was furnished with a fully stocked bar, bay windows, 2 bathrooms with TVs and telephones. Harrah's Lake Tahoe earned the first five-star diamond rating in casino history.
The hotel was later expanded with 290 additional rooms in 1976.
In 2000 Harrah’s completed a $26 million dollar renovation to update the casino, hotel rooms and restaurants on the 18th floor including the Forest Buffet and Friday’s Station.
On December 3, 2005, a shootout occurred in a private booth near the casino floor. One person was killed, and two Douglas County Sheriff's Deputies were injured.
Caesars Entertainment Corp began a major effort to remodel and revitalize Harrah's Lake Tahoe beginning in 2005, they remodeled floors 12-15 of the hotel and remade the rooms in mini suites with large couches, dry bars and brand new decor and furniture. The remodel was completed in mid 2006. Following the hotel remodel, Caesars completely remodeled the hotel's lobby and added a food court and luxury diamond outlet signature to Caesars called "Park Place Jewelers" in 2007. In 2008, Caesars added an upscale, luxury Chinese/Cantonese restaurant called "Gi Fu Loh" to cater to their Asian customers. Efforts to renovate have made Harrah's Lake Tahoe the hotel to be at and is ranked as classiest out of the four casinos in Stateline.
External links
38.959425°N 119.941628°W