Carver House Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

Carver House Hotel and Casino was one of the most significant but often overlooked Black-oriented hotel-casinos in Las Vegas history. Located at 400 West Jackson Avenue in Historic West Las Vegas, the five-story property opened in July 1961 during a period when segregation still shaped where Black residents, performers, and travelers could comfortably stay, dine, gamble, and socialize. The project had complicated roots. It began in the mid-1950s as a planned hotel-casino originally connected to the Moulin Rouge name, but after the famous Moulin Rouge opened elsewhere on Bonanza Road, the Jackson Avenue project was renamed Carver House. Construction started in 1955, stalled after financial trouble, and the unfinished structure sat dormant for several years before finally opening under First Western Bank ownership. When Carver House debuted, it was promoted as a major new entertainment destination for the Westside. Its casino, hotel rooms, lounge, dining, and supper-club atmosphere gave the community a full-service resort-style venue at a time when such spaces were limited. One of its key attractions was Mr. B’s Supper Club, advertised as a glamorous room intended to bring big-name entertainment and nightlife energy to the property. Opening-night publicity even promoted stars such as Billy Eckstine and Sammy Davis Jr. to the venue as part-time hosts when schedules allowed. The Carver House marquee featured performers including Calvin “Eagle Eye” Shields and His All-Stars, Paul Bryant, Morris Patterson, Patience Valentine, and Lottie “Miss Body,” reflecting its role as a live-entertainment stop as well as a casino. The property was also listed in The Negro Travelers’ Green Book from 1962 through 1966, underscoring its importance to African American travelers during the civil-rights era. In 1965, Carver House became the Cove Hotel, but that identity was short-lived, closing by 1966 or the late 1960s. In the early 1970s, the building found new purpose as headquarters for Operation Life, the grassroots Westside anti-poverty organization led by local Black women activists. The building was damaged by fire in 1989 and later demolished, but Carver House remains a powerful symbol of historic West Las Vegas: part hotel, part casino, part nightclub, and part community landmark. Today, Carver House’s former property is an empty lot.