Old West with frontier-style buildings and a replica pioneer village, the New Frontier embraced the future. Its new outer-space theme, promoted with the slogan “Out of This World,” reflected an era fascinated by rockets, science, and the dawn of the Atomic Age. The transformation arrived during a major boom in Las Vegas, as new resorts competed to attract visitors with increasingly elaborate themes and entertainment.
The hotel quickly made its mark on Las Vegas entertainment. In April 1956, Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier, performing a two-week engagement that initially drew a lukewarm response from audiences more accustomed to traditional lounge acts. That same year, Judy Garland performed in the hotel's Venus Room, adding another major name to its entertainment lineup. The resort continued to evolve through ownership changes and renovations, eventually being acquired by Howard Hughes in 1967 and renamed the Frontier.
Over the decades, the property cycled through several names and identities, returning to the New Frontier name in 1998. It also became known for a bitter labor dispute that began in 1991 and lasted more than six years, becoming one of the longest strikes in American labor history. The hotel closed on July 16, 2007, and was demolished that November. Though it disappeared from the Strip, the New Frontier remains part of Las Vegas history, a reminder of the era when themed resorts, headline entertainers, and bold new ideas helped transform a desert highway into one of the world's most recognizable entertainment destinations.
Old West with frontier-style buildings and a replica pioneer village, the New Frontier embraced the future. Its new outer-space theme, promoted with the slogan “Out of This World,” reflected an era fascinated by rockets, science, and the dawn of the Atomic Age. The transformation arrived during a major boom in Las Vegas, as new resorts competed to attract visitors with increasingly elaborate themes and entertainment.
The hotel quickly made its mark on Las Vegas entertainment. In April 1956, Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier, performing a two-week engagement that initially drew a lukewarm response from audiences more accustomed to traditional lounge acts. That same year, Judy Garland performed in the hotel's Venus Room, adding another major name to its entertainment lineup. The resort continued to evolve through ownership changes and renovations, eventually being acquired by Howard Hughes in 1967 and renamed the Frontier.
Over the decades, the property cycled through several names and identities, returning to the New Frontier name in 1998. It also became known for a bitter labor dispute that began in 1991 and lasted more than six years, becoming one of the longest strikes in American labor history. The hotel closed on July 16, 2007, and was demolished that November. Though it disappeared from the Strip, the New Frontier remains part of Las Vegas history, a reminder of the era when themed resorts, headline entertainers, and bold new ideas helped transform a desert highway into one of the world's most recognizable entertainment destinations.
