Las Vegas Weekly

June 8, 2010 · 11:57 AM

Dueling mob museums duke it out for control of The Strip

By Robin Leach

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, left, and former Sen. Richard Bryan (D-Nev.) prepare to open the doors to The Mob Museum during a news conference at the museum site in downtown Las Vegas on Aug. 4, 2009.

Photo: Steve Marcus

It’s safe to describe it as dueling Mobs with eerily similar propositions: On the very day that The Las Vegas Mob Experience revealed its December opening date at the new-look Tropicana, the rival museum tried to defuse and blunt the news.

Today the organizers behind The Mob Experience broke all their news about its never-before-seen attractions, but in typical strong-arm tactics last night, the competing Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement -- aka The Mob Museum -- revealed several of the names associated with artifacts that will be displayed when it opens in mid-2011 -- six months after The Mob Experience.

THE MOB EXPERIENCE

Anchored by the largest collection of artifacts, memorabilia, photos and videos of organized crime ever assembled, The Las Vegas Mob Experience promises an attraction unlike any other with its opening in December at the Tropicana using the latest in “interactive entertainment technology” to immerse guests in the rise and fall of organized crime.

The fall is a result of the efforts of Nevada State Gaming and law enforcement. Through first-person accounts offered by apparitions of famed gangsters, visitors will be able to experience organized crime and learn about the role its major players had on the building of Las Vegas, and their ultimate eradication from casinos.

At Mob Experience, guests will make their way through a theatrical, interactive setting of intrigue, mystery and suspense. Through its interactive and intelligent design, The Las Vegas Mob Experience delivers an authentic reach and real perspective into the lives and property of the individuals who created this enduring phenomenon that is Las Vegas.

Guests also will have the opportunity to meet the family members of a number of the men and women highlighted throughout Mob Experience. I’m told that they will include Millicent Rosen, daughter of Bugsy Siegel; Meyer Lansky, grandson, and Cynthia Duncan, granddaughter, of Meyer Lansky; Antoinette Giancana, daughter of Sam Giancana; Nancy Spilotro, wife of Tony Spilotro; Vincent Spilotro, son of Anthony Spilotro; and Janice Sachs, wife of Allan Sachs.

“We believe The Las Vegas Mob Experience creates a perfect synergy with Tropicana Las Vegas,” said Tom McCartney, president of Tropicana. “Its creators have mixed innovation with leading-edge technologies and never-before-seen artifacts from the families of legendary mobsters. Visitors will see and hear first-hand accounts of the stories that shaped Las Vegas decades ago with this one-of-a-kind immersive experience.”

“We are delighted to partner with Tropicana Las Vegas in introducing The Las Vegas Mob Experience,” said Jay Bloom, managing partner of Murder Inc. “The storied history of Tropicana, their South Beach vibe and the extraordinary vision of Chairman and CEO Alex Yemenidjian provide a rare opportunity to partner with the most thematically relevant and fastest-rising property on The Strip.”

THE MOB MUSEUM

Creative director Dr. Dennis Barrie and his wife Kathleen Hickey Barrie are developing The Mob Museum’s creative content and overseeing their collection and curation of artifacts. They say that their Mob Museum will incorporate rich elements of design, atmosphere, film, video and artifacts that will tell the full story of organized crime in America.

Artifacts to be integrated throughout the museum’s interactive exhibits are associated with many of organized crime’s biggest names, including Alphonse Capone, Dion O’Bannion, George Moran, Charlie Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Ben Siegel, Sam Giancana, Joe Bonanno, Frank Rosenthal, Mickey Cohen, Tony Cornero and Tony Spilotro.

Additionally, many items relating to historic eras and specific industries, such as prohibition, money laundering and gaming, will help tell the story of the Mob’s influence in these areas. Items and artifacts relating to law enforcement’s role in helping to eradicate and control the Mob, such as weapons and crime scene photos, also will be part of the experience.

The museum is under construction in the former U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in downtown Las Vegas that was dedicated Nov. 27, 1933, as the city’s first federal building. The building housed the very courtroom where in 1950, one of 14 national hearings was held to expose and control organized crime in America. In the construction and rehabilitation of the building, the courtroom is being restored to appear as it did in 1950 during the famed Kefauver hearings, named for Tennessee Sen. Estes Kefauver.

“Visitors to The Mob Museum will be immersed in a full-bodied experience right down to the very building where members of organized crime were once exposed and prosecuted,” Kathleen said. “The historical building is the ideal home for this fascinating subject that is already capturing the interest and imagination of people from around the globe. We receive phone calls and e-mail from throughout the world on an almost daily basis inquiring about the museum. Today, the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement is easily among the most highly anticipated museums in the world.”

Core and shell construction is well underway just nine months after the August “wall-breaking” by museum board members, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan. Seismic retrofit is almost complete, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are being installed and restoration of architectural details is underway. The museum is scheduled to open in spring 2011.

Our thanks to Christopher Rauschnot @24K Media on Twitter for posting his videos on YouTube.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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