MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
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- This article is about the first MGM Grand in Las Vegas. See MGM Grand Las Vegas for the current hotel and casino.
| MGM Grand | |
|---|---|
| Address | 3645 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109 |
| Opening date | December 5, 1973 |
| Closing date | 1986 |
| Theme | Cosmopolitan Hollywood |
| No. of rooms | 2,084 |
| Total gaming space | 67,000 sq ft (6,225 m²) |
| Permanent shows | Jubilee! |
| Signature attractions | Shopping Arcade |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Kirk Kerkorian |
| Previous names | Bonanza New Bonanza |
| Renovated in | 1981 |
The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at the intersection with Flamingo Road. Built on a 43 acre (17 hectare) site, by Kirk Kerkorian, the hotel with 2,084 rooms opened on December 5, 1973 and was one of the largest hotels in the world at that time. (Rossiya Hotel in Moscow, then USSR, was probably the world's largest at the time with its 3,200 rooms.)
History
The site was first occupied by the Bonanza Hotel and Casino. It was later renamed the New Bonanza Hotel and Casino shortly before construction on the MGM Grand began.
The MGM Grand opened as one of Las Vegas's first megaresorts on December 5, 1973. It was the largest hotel in the world at its opening and would remain so for several years. When the hotel was built, it set a new standard of size and luxury in Las Vegas, and is considered to have made the biggest impact on Las Vegas until the construction of Steve Wynn's Mirage Hotel in the late 1980s.
The hotel had a movie theme to reflect Kirk Kerkorian's interest in movies from his ownership of MGM and the hotels use of MGM in its name. The hotel was designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr. It featured many amenities, including numerous entertainment options. It offered live jai alai for betting and a large shopping arcade with numerous shops and restaurants.
It was also one of the strip's most popular entertainment destinations. It featured two large theaters: The Zeigfield Stage and the Celebrity Room. The Zeigfield regularly featured productions by famed Las Vegas choreographer Donn Arden including the long running Jubilee! and Hallelujah Hollywood. The Celebrity Room hosted such acts as The Carpenters and Barry Manilow.
1980 Fire
It suffered a fire that started in a casino restaurant and traveled up into the hotel, killing 87 guests on November 21, 1980. It was rebuilt in only eight months with the remodel adding a tower which opened in 1981. The tower had been in construction at the time of the fire, but was unscathed by the fire. The fire made such an impact on hotel safety that it led to the implementation of fire safety improvements worldwide.
The hotel was sold in 1986 to Bally Entertainment Corporation and reopened as Bally's Las Vegas.
Film history
In 1985, the MGM Grand was the setting for the fictional boxing match between Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago for the movie Rocky IV.