Kit Carson Motel, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

The Kit Carson Motel was a mid-20th century roadside landmark on the southern stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard (then U.S. 91). Originally emerging in the mid‑1940s as the Kit Carson Club, the property transitioned into a full motel in the early 1950s. By 1956, the Kit Carson Motel had established itself as a classic motor‑court destination, complete with a central swimming pool, parking for every room, and a stylish neon marquee—ideal for attracting travelers journeying along the burgeoning Las Vegas Strip. Promotional postcards from the era describe it as a “new, 28‑unit, fully carpeted motel with full‑tile showers, radios, steam heat in winter and air‑cooled in summer,” situated conveniently between the iconic Last Frontier and Flamingo hotels. Kit Carson provided travelers with an accessible and comfortable base from which to experience the glitz of early Las Vegas. Its neon sign and poolside charm made it a photogenic example of 1950s American leisure culture. However, after a fire in 1963, the motel ceased operations, and by 1965 it was demolished. Though the Kit Carson Motel is long gone, its legacy endures through surviving postcards, Kodachrome snapshots, and the memory of a simpler Las Vegas—before mega‑resorts dominated the skyline. It symbolized the transition of the Strip from dusty highway stops into America’s playground, leaving a nostalgic imprint on the city’s early growth. Today the land is home to the Venetian Hotel and Casino.