Town Tavern (Las Vegas) Explained
| Town Tavern |
| Address: | 600 Jackson Avenue |
| Country: | United States |
| Opened: | July 5, 1955 |
| Closed: | 2013 |
Town Tavern was a bar and casino located at 600 West Jackson Avenue on the West Side of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was later known as New Town Tavern, and Ultra New Town Tavern, operating from 1955 to 2013.[1]
History
Earl Turmon opened Town Tavern on July 5, 1955. In the late 1950s the club was known as a destination for Black entertainers who were headlining shows at segregated Las Vegas Strip hotels.[2] Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr, Cab Calloway, The Ink Spots, and Little Milton are among the performers who were drop in and/or perform at the club.
On July 6, 1959, the business changed owners was renamed the New Town Tavern. Its name changed again in the 1990s to Ultra New Town Tavern. New owners advertised that they had 36 slot machines and 2 gaming tables. After its final closure in 2013, another owner changed its rooftop sign to "Tokyo Casino" but the club never reopened under this name. The closed club was destroyed by fire on October 15, 2023.
Sources
- Blue. Helen M.. Coughtry. Jamie. CLARENCE RAY Black Politics and Gaming in Las Vegas, 1920s-1980s. University of Nevada Oral History Program. 1991. 83. 22 September 2015. University of Nevada. Reno, NV.
- Book: Bracey, Earnest N.. The Moulin Rouge and Black Rights in Las Vegas: A History of the First Racially Integrated Hotel-Casino. 2008. McFarland. 978-0-7864-5251-4.
- Book: Embry, Jessie L.. Oral History, Community, and Work in the American West. 2013. University of Arizona Press. 978-0-8165-9927-1.
- Book: Hershwitzky, Patricia. West Las Vegas. 2011. Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina. 978-0-7385-8196-5.
- Book: McKee, Robert J.. Community Action against Racism in West Las Vegas: The F Street Wall and the Women Who Brought It Down. 2014. Lexington Books. Lanham, Maryland. 978-0-7391-8678-7.
- Web site: White. Claytee D.. Transcript of interview with Sarann Knight Preddy. University of Nevada Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. June 5, 1997. September 22, 2015. September 23, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923060032/http://digital.library.unlv.edu/objects/ohr/8. dead.
Notes and References
- Web site: Town Tavern. October 17, 2023. Vintage Las Vegas. October 22, 2023.
- Goertler. Pam. A West Side Story. Casino Chip and Token News. 21 Number. 4. 45. October–December 2008. Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc.. 22 September 2015.
