Tallyho Hotel and Country Club, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

Situated on Las Vegas Boulevard across from the famed Dunes, the Tallyho Hotel and Country Club was the brainchild of Edwin S. Lowe—renowned for popularizing Bingo and launching Yahtzee—who envisioned a luxury, non‑gaming retreat on the Strip. Designed in an English Tudor style, it opened its doors on December 24, 1962, boasting 450 rooms, 32 villas, six restaurants, a swimming pool, horseback and bicycle riding, helicopter service, and an unusual nine‑hole pitch‑and‐putt golf course. Despite the elegance and novelty, the absence of a casino proved a critical misstep. Following its February 1963 grand‑opening promotion, reports indicated respectable business—but Vegas visitors and revenues were casino‑driven. Lowe eventually conceded it was a mistake not to include gambling; the Tallyho closed on October 10, 1963, laying off over 100 employees. In late 1963, Kings Crown Inns of America purchased the property for around $7 million and rebranded it King’s Crown Tallyho, retaining its Tudor charm. They began constructing a casino and showroom but never secured a gaming license—allegedly due to insufficient financing—and operations shut down again by April 1965. In the meantime, rumors swirled of mob ties—Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno reportedly had an interest in Tallyho’s stalled casino venture. However, the property’s fate was sealed in early 1966, when hotel‑casino impresario Milton Prell acquired it. He commissioned architect Martin Stern Jr. to transform it into the Arabian‑themed Aladdin, which opened on April 1, 1966, introducing a full casino, showroom, and eventually a 19‑story tower. The Tallyho‑era buildings lasted through several renamings and major renovations until the original structures were finally demolished in 1998 to make way for a new, more modern Aladdin resort. Although it lasted just a few years, the Tallyho was an audacious experiment—a luxurious, non‑gambling enclave smack-dab in the center of the world’s gambling capital. Today the property is home to Planet Hollywood.