It’s a story that could only happen in Las Vegas, perhaps like a scene from “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Casino,” “Rain Man” or any other movie set in the gambling mecca. It involves Oscar Goodman, the lawyer who represented mob figures including Meyer Lansky, Nicky Scarfo, Tony Spilotro, and Frank Rosenthal, and later became Vegas’ mayor.
The story also involves a classic Vegas destination, the Plaza Hotel & Casino. A place that Goodman wanted to see demolished.
According to Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel, when the Plaza changed ownership in 2005 Goodman laid out what he expected of new management.
Jonathan Jossel
“Oscar, in his charming way, said you better do what you say you’re going to do or I’m going to take the place down,” Jossel says. “It was more tongue-in-cheek, but certainly struck a chord with the owner at the time.”
Goodman must have approved since the Plaza features Oscar’s Steakhouse as one of its dining options. And the Plaza is still standing.
In July the Plaza will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a series of events and the sort of fanfare reserved for the most august of landmarks. One of the most recognizable venues in Vegas, the former train station was transformed into a casino and hotel by Sam Boyd, Bill Boyd, J. K. Houssels Jr., and Jackie Gaughan in 1971. Since then, the Plaza has attracted gamblers and tourists from around the world.
Jossel says the address at One Main Street is not just the beginning of downtown Las Vegas, but the entire town.
“There is so much history and class associated with the property,” he says. “It’s definitely a reason why over the years we never thought of demolishing it and rebuilding it and instead have tried to bring back the heyday that it was.”
A ‘classic feel’
That throwback quality is what first drew John Mehaffey to the Plaza. A Las Vegas resident, he started coming to the Plaza to play poker in the early 2000s. When the poker room closed, he kept coming back to play video poker.
“It definitely has a classic feel to it, and I like those types of properties,” Mehaffey says. “I’m not a fan of the newer stuff. I like Downtown over the Strip.”
Those who have never been to the Plaza are likely to have seen it in movies, TV shows, or music videos. The venue’s glass dome dotted with lights, the front entrance’s sweeping port cochere, the magisterial look at night with the Plaza in script lit at the top of the hotel, have long attracted filmmakers and musicians dating back to Vega$, the television series that ran on ABC from 1978 through 1981. The Plaza’s been featured in movies including Back to the Future, Part II, and The Hangover Part 3. The Weeknd and Lil Wayne have incorporated the venue into music videos.
Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro from their scene inside the Plaza’s restaurant in the film, “Casino.”
The restaurant that now has Goodman’s name – which overlooks the intersection of Main Street and the Fremont Street Experience – was the setting for a pivitol scene in the Martin Scorsese film, Casino.
‘People know the property’
Notably Las Vegas band The Killers filmed a video for its song The Man at the property. Jossel met the band’s lead singer, Brandon Flowers, at a Vegas coffee shop. Flowers mentioned he loved what the Plaza represents in Vegas and asked to film the video – which Jossel jokes is almost “an infomercial” – throughout the hotel and casino.
“People just know the property,” Jossel says. “They know the imagery. Of course, it’s changed over the years, whether it’s the remodel we did (in 2010) or the swimming pool that used to be in front of the building and now is Oscar’s Steakhouse, but there’s just this history. When you look at social media, the pictures people take under those lights at the entrance to the property, you just can’t recreate that in any way.”
When the Plaza was closed for remodeling in 2010, Jossel was struck by “the love and affection” team members showed for the site. Mary Myers, the Plaza’s slot operations manager since 2015 and an employee of owners the Tamares Group for 25 years, said renovations haven’t marred the nostalgia that’s present every time she walks through the front doors.
Patrons she meets also seem to have a sense of the history of the property. Myers knows customers who have been married in the Plaza’s chapel, and generations of patrons from Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and of course, Vegas itself. Grandparents who first came to the Plaza in the ‘70s and brought their children now have grandchildren who are regulars. There are even customers who come back specifically because they have formed bonds with employees, according to Myers.
“A lot of us, we know them,” she says. “We know their history. It’s a warm, family kind of feeling.”
A variety of promotions are slated for the 50th anniversary, including exclusive hotel packages, food and beverage credits, and gambling comps. Celebrations, soon to be announced soon, will take place on and around the July 2 anniversary date.
And, in a nod to history and the passing of time, the Greyhound bus station that was part of the Plaza has left the property. The original owners granted Greyhound a 50-year lease when it first opened.
Jossel says nostalgia aside, the departure of the bus company will be a transformative development for downtown Las Vegas.
“For locals and tourists, the No. 1 thing is parking and safety,” Jossel says. “With Greyhound leaving, we can really offer better experiences across the board.”
