In preparation for the opening, the hotel and casino ordered merchandise. Slot tokens were minted with the year stamped into them. These can still be found today and often cause some to believe that the Landmark opened in 1967 incorrectly. Other items, such as stationary, pool supplies, matchbooks, and more, were produced using a logo that would later be discarded. The hotel never used these items during its operation. (Click HERE for more information on logos)
The Landmark was finally completed in the spring of 1968 after seven years of stop-and-go construction. Logbooks showed over 200,000 person-hours were put into construction from start to finish.56 The tower’s construction used 9,014 square yards of concrete and 100 tons of steel. It contained two sub-levels, which extended twenty-five feet below the ground, plus a five-foot-thick foundation measuring eighty feet in diameter and comprised 1,267 yds2 of concrete. The tower contained 127,614 ft2 of floor space.57 The $200,000 pool was an impressive two hundred and forty feet long and was capped with a twenty-foot-high waterfall, making it the longest pool in the state.58
Photo courtesy of Hank deLespinasse.
The hotelโs interior, designed by Leonard England, was decorated with an Inca and space-age theme. Sixty-three tons of black and white polished marble from Italy, hand-carved mahogany paneling, and glowing red Incan war masks adorned the walls. The foyer contained murals depicting the world’s seven wonders, including Landmark as the eighth. A burnished metal sculpture representing a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center brought it all together.59
As they waited for approval to open, Caroll and his associates began giving press tours of the property. During one such tour in early April of 1968, Caroll allegedly attacked England for commenting on Carollโs wife.60 England claimed Caroll beat him and forced him to his knees to apologize to Carollโs wife, Sue, for inappropriate remarks he had made earlier that evening.61 Caroll was arrested and released on $100 bail, with a trial set for June 24.62 This, combined with pressure from the licensing board over his track record of financial difficulty, forced Caroll to withdraw his application for a gaming license on April 22nd.63 On June 12th, District Attorney George Franklin Jr. ordered the assault and battery charges against Caroll dropped, stating, โIโm not going to let this office be used as an instrument of personal or political revenge.โ64 This was an uncharacteristic move for Judge Franklin, who was known for making statements about eradicating crime by being tough on it.65
Photo courtesy of UNLV Special Collections.
Plaza Tower, Inc. tried to regroup in May of 1968, with Caroll stepping back and Sandler handling all official business. The licensing board was eager to get the Landmark open so it could create 600 new jobs and asked Sandler to submit a new financial plan. Before this could happen, however, the Teamsters Union filed a notice of breach of trust, claiming Plaza Tower stopped making payments on the loan in October of 1967.66 Sandler became eager to sell the property to pay the creditors. By July, six prospective buyers were making bids to purchase the Landmark. Sandler denied a rumor that one of the buyers, New York firm Olla Enterprises, had already bought it for $16.2 million.67
At 9:25 p.m. on August 2nd, 1968, a Cessna 180 clipped the โLโ sign on top of the Landmark and crashed into the Convention Center across the street.68 It turned out that a man named Everett Wayne Shaw stole the plane from his job in Jean, NV, and planned to crash into the Landmark to commit suicide over the failure of his one-month-old marriage; a note found in his apartment stated his intentions. The plane belonged to Shawโs boss, Alan Little, who also worked at the Frontier Hotel as a dealer. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft tried to pull up at the last minute, indicating Shaw may have changed his mind, but it was too late.69 A popular myth associated with the crash states that Shawโs wife was dining at the top of the Landmark, and he intended to kill her as well. This is not possible since the hotel had yet to open. Although media reported that the Landmark suffered no damage, photographs taken after the crash show that a portion of the โLโ sign was damaged.
Later that month, on the 24th, Supreme Mattress Company filed a lawsuit against Plaza Tower for paying only $4,250 out of a $25,505 bill for mattresses for the hotel. They demanded that the product be returned plus damages and fees be paid.70 To make matters worse, three of Landmarkโs creditors filed a joint petition on the 29th to declare the hotel bankrupt. The U.S. District Court ordered that the Teamsters and Sylvania Electric Company’s foreclosure filings be suspended pending the result.71 The court approved the bankruptcy case and forced Plaza Tower to look for a buyer immediately.72 Caroll denied rumors in October that Royal Inns Of America, Inc. would lease and open the hotel under the Royal Inn name. Sandler noted they were still in talks with three prospective buyers and hoped to have an offer that week.73 Little did anyone know that one of those buyers would change the Landmarkโs destinyโฆ
