Little Church of the West explained

Little Church of the West
Location:	4617 S Las Vegas Blvd. Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Nearest City:	Las Vegas
Coordinates:	36.0861°N -115.1719°W
Built:	1943
Architecture:	Late Gothic Revival
Added:	September 14, 1992
Refnum:	92001161

Little Church of the West is a wedding chapel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States,^[1] that is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Built of redwood, it was intended to be a replica of a typical pioneer town church. It is the oldest building on the Las Vegas Strip.^[2]

History

The Little Church of the West opened May 22, 1943^[3] on what became the Las Vegas Strip. The chapel was originally built as part of the Hotel Last Frontier complex on the Strip. It was moved from the north side of the hotel to the south side in 1954. In 1979, to make way for the Fashion Show Mall, the chapel was moved onto the grounds of the Hacienda hotel-casino. In December 1996, when the Hacienda was closed and demolished, the chapel was moved again to its current location on the east side of the Strip, south of the eventual Mandalay Bay resort.^[4]

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 14, 1992, and is the only building on the Las Vegas Strip to be listed.^[5]

In 2002, the church performed 6,000 weddings a year, and more than 250,000 couples had been married there since its opening.^[5] In 2017, it celebrated its 75th anniversary and remains the oldest building on the Las Vegas Strip.^[2]

Film history

In an episode of Perry Mason titled "The Case of the Startled Stallion" (1959) the church is mentioned and the neon sign is shown. It appears in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas, in which the film's characters played by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret recite their vows in the church.^[5] In the 1978-81 ABC series Vega$ the chapel appears in "Serve, Volley, and Kill" (Season 1, Episode 11, 1978), starring Red Buttons as "Reverend" Tommy Cirko, "All Kinds of Love" (Season 2, Episode 14, 1980), and "Vendetta" (Season 2, Episode 23, 1980).

Notable weddings

• Betty Grable and Harry James (1943)^[6]
• Andy Russell and Della Norell (1945)^[7]
• Deanna Durbin and Felix Jackson (1945)^[6]
• Zsa Zsa Gabor and George Sanders (1949)^[6]
• Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl (1954)^[8]
• Dinah Washington and Dick Lane (1963)^[9]
• Judy Garland and Mark Herron (1965)^[8]
• David Cassidy and Kay Lenz (1977)^[10]
• Bob Geldof and Paula Yates (1986)
• Dudley Moore and Brogan Lane (1988)
• Redd Foxx and Ka Ha Cho (1991)^{[11] [12]}
• Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford (1991)^[13]
• Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews (1997)
• Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie (2000)^[12]
• Billie Piper and Chris Evans (2001)^[12]
• Jodie Sweetin and Cody Herpin (2007)
• Mickey Rooney
• Robert Goulet
• Buck Owens
• David Sanborn
• Telly Savalas
• Heather Thomas
• Mel Tormé
• Margaret Whiting
• Lars Ulrich
• Ian Astbury
• Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil^[14]

See also

• List of wedding chapels in Las Vegas

External links

• • UNLV Architecture Studies Library Tour (South Las Vegas)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Property record . Clark County Assessor's Office . https://web.archive.org/web/20181027232028/http://sandgate.co.clark.nv.us/assrrealprop/ParcelDetail.aspx?hdnParcel=16228402004&hdnInstance=pcl7 . October 27, 2018.
2. Web site: Little Church of the West - Historic Las Vegas Wedding Chapels. Little Church of the West. 12 February 2018.
3. Web site: Little Church of the West, est. 1943 . Jun 30, 2019 . Vintage Las Vegas . November 24, 2021 .
4. News: Shemeligian . Bob . Little Church of the West prepared to move south . March 6, 2021 . Las Vegas Sun . November 29, 1996.
   - News: Going to the chapel . March 6, 2021 . Las Vegas Review-Journal . December 3, 1996 . subscription. News Library.
   - News: Here comes the chapel . March 6, 2021 . Las Vegas Review-Journal . December 5, 1996 . subscription. News Library.
5. News: Smith . Rod . Nevadan At Work . Las Vegas Review-Journal . October 13, 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050412061645/http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Oct-13-Sun-2002/business/19707657.html . April 12, 2005.
6. News: Celebrity Weddings in Las Vegas: The '30s and '40s . October 5, 2018 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20091127034136/http://www.reviewjournal.com:80/weddings/celebrity/30s-40s.html . November 27, 2009.
7. Web site: Andy Russell Weds Entertainer. New York Times. 18 September 2014. 27. October 24, 1945.
8. News: Celebrity Weddings in Las Vegas: The '50s and '60s . October 5, 2018 . Las Vegas Review-Journal . https://web.archive.org/web/20091128093043/http://www.reviewjournal.com:80/weddings/celebrity/50s-60s.html . November 28, 2009.
9. Book: Cohodas, Nadine. Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington. August 24, 2004. Random House. 0375421483. 426.
10. Web site: Celebrity Weddings in Las Vegas: The '70s and '80s. Las Vegas Review-Journal. https://web.archive.org/web/20091125083925/http://www.reviewjournal.com:80/weddings/celebrity/70s-80s.html. November 25, 2009.
11. News: Redd Foxx kisses his bride . October 5, 2018 . The Salina Journal . Associated Press . July 10, 1991. subscription .
12. News: Celebrity Weddings in Las Vegas . October 5, 2018 . Las Vegas Review-Journal . https://web.archive.org/web/20091127033721/http://www.reviewjournal.com:80/weddings/celebrity/index.html . November 27, 2009.
13. Web site: You are invited to our Vegas wedding.... August 14, 2008. The Independent. May 31, 2012.
14. MaxBlumenthal . 1240050367800332288 . March 18, 2020 . No one I'd rather self-quarantine with than my queen @anyaparampil A huge thank you to everyone who's shown ♥.