A mainstay of downtown Las Vegas — the place where Wayne Newton got his start — passed a milestone on today.
The Fremont Hotel and Casino, where Newton began singing in the Carnival Lounge as a junior in high school, turned 60 amid a celebration featuring Boyd Gaming Executive Chairman Bill Boyd and former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.
Originally a 155-room hotel and casino, the property opened May 18, 1956, and was expanded two years later. In 1963, it was again enlarged with a 14-story hotel tower and one of the city's first vertical parking garages.
The Fremont has been a Boyd Gaming property since 1985, when Sam and Bill Boyd purchased it and the Stardust for $165 million.