LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — This day in history may well have changed the trajectory of tourism in Las Vegas.
On August 5, 1966, developer Jay Sarno unveiled Caesars Palace for the first time. The ancient Roman-themed hotel-casino was unlike anything seen on The Strip before. Its 14-story tower boasted 680 rooms.
The property included an entrance inspired by Saint Peter’s Square, and a pool based on Pompeii’s public baths. Caesars’ “Circus Maximus” showroom became a major venue for stars like Frank Sinatra, Cher, and Aretha Franklin.
The grand opening celebration cost a million dollars and included some 50,000 glasses of champagne, gallons of important caviar, and tons of filet mignon steaks.
As of this story, Caesars remains a strip mainstay, offering guests more than four thousand hotel rooms and 130,000 square feet of casino space.
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