page_title: Dunes (hotel and casino)
section_title: Operation and final years (1960s–1993)
hierarchical_section_title: Dunes (hotel and casino) / History / Operation and final years (1960s–1993)
caption_attribution_description: English: Neon signs on the facade of "The Oasis Casino in The Dunes" Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA as of 1990.
context_page_description: The Dunes Hotel was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from May 23, 1955 to January 26, 1993. Designed by architects John Replogle, Robert Dorr Jr., Milton Schwartz and Maxwell Starkman, it was the tenth resort to open on the Strip. Bellagio now stands on the former grounds. The Dunes golf course is now occupied by parts of Park MGM, New York-New York, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, and T-Mobile Arena.
context_section_description: Although it opened to much fanfare, it struggled from the start because The Dunes was at the then-southernmost part of the Strip. The hotel frequently had to borrow money, and even the Sands Hotel lent its executives to help out, as well as bringing in numerous famous celebrities and entertainers such as Frank Sinatra's surprise appearance dressed as a sultan.  In the late 1960s, Morris Shenker bought an interest in the Dunes and became its Chairman of the Board. In 1970, there were unrealized rumors Howard Hughes would buy into the hotel.
  From 1976 to 1978, Johnny Elvis Foster starred in his Elvis show, For The Love Of Elvis, at the Dunes' showroom. Shenker was Foster's godfather. Foster was the first Elvis impersonator before Elvis died.
  In 1979, the South Tower was added, expanding the hotel to 1300 rooms. The new tower was designed by Los Angeles architect Maxwell Starkman.
  In 1983, brothers Stuart and Clifford Perlman, founders of Caesars World, agreed to buy the Dunes for $185 million, and even took over operation of the property for several months, but the sale ultimately fell through. A second casino in a separate, round  building on the site opened in 1983 under the name Oasis Casino at The Dunes. In 1985, the sultan statue was moved to the golf course during renovations, and later caught fire, reportedly due to an electrical short.
  Many major professional boxing events took place at the Dunes during this era, from 1975 to 1990; notably the May 20, 1983 undercard that featured Ossie Ocasio retaining his WBA's world Cruiserweight title by fifteen round unanimous decision over Randy Stephens, Greg Page beat Renaldo Snipes by twelve rounds unanimous decision in a WBC's Heavyweight division elimination bout, Michael Dokes retained his WBA world Heavyweight title with a fifteen round draw (tie) over Mike Weaver in their rematch, and Larry Holmes won over Tim Witherspoon by a twelve round split decision to retain his WBC world Heavyweight title. This was the first time in history that two world Heavyweight championship fights took place on the same day.
  The Dunes, suffering from low revenue, filed for bankruptcy protection and reorganization under Chapter 11 on November 6, 1985. Later that year, Steve Wynn, chairman of the local Golden Nugget hotel-casino, offered $115 million to purchase the resort, although the offer was rejected. Businessman Donald Trump subsequently offered to purchase the resort for $100 million, although he was rejected as well. By July 1987, Hilton Hotels Corporation and Japanese investor Masao Nangaku both separately planned to purchase the resort. Nangaku purchased the Dunes that year for $155 million, although he could not make it financially successful.
  On November 17, 1992, the Dunes was sold to Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, Inc., for $75 million.
caption: Neon facade of the Oasis Casino in 1990
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