Here's where I got the info:
http://www.a2zlasvegas.com/hotels/history/h-stardust.html
History:
Tony Cornero organized the Stardust Company in 1954. He wanted to attract visitors in masses and decided to charge $5.00 a day for rooms and giving guests $5.00 for gambling at his resort. Hundreds of stock shares were sold to the general public. The new resort was to be called "Tony Cornero's Starlight".
In July of 1955, Cornero suffered a massive heart attack and died while gambling at the Desert Inn. The unfinished shell sat empty almost two years while the asking price came down.
Moe Dalitz, Allard Roen and their Desert Inn associates took over the Stardust operation for financial backer Jack "The Barber" Factor, with the owner listed as Rella Factor (Jack's wife), for $4.3 million on January 10, 1958. The architecture of the partially completed hotel was chaotic. No one was in clear command.
Cornero envisioned a casino resort that would be the largest in the world with over 1,000 rooms. The plans called for separate bungalow-type sections with each section being named after the planets and a super-motor scooter was to be used to carry guests and tourists around the 40 acre resort.
|