La Concha Motel, Las Vegas, Bella Ladies V-Neck

Venue History

The La Concha Motel was a stunning example of mid-century Googie architecture on the Las Vegas Strip, opening in 1961 at 2955 Las Vegas Blvd S. Designed by celebrated architect Paul Revere Williams—one of the first prominent African American AIA Fellows—the motel featured a jaw-dropping concrete‑shell lobby, its swooping curves and thin-shell design evoking a seashell or futuristic spaceship. Owned and opened by M.K. Doumani, the property included around 350 rooms and quickly gained prominence not just for its architecture, but its star-studded guest list: legends such as Ronald Reagan, Ann-Margret, Flip Wilson, Muhammad Ali, and the Carpenters reportedly stayed there. The striking lobby’s hyperbolic paraboloid form marked it as one of the Strip’s most recognizable motels, neighboring the Riviera, El Morocco (also designed by Paul Revere Williams), and Silver City. Despite its success and historical significance, the motel began facing financial strain in the early 2000s. Rising property taxes and mandatory Strip beautification costs—$295,000 for just five palm trees—made the land’s value far exceed the building’s worth. In 2003, demolition began; by 2004, the motel structures were gone, but its iconic lobby remained standing. Thanks to preservation efforts, the lobby was donated to and saved by the Neon Museum. In 2006, it was carefully cut into eight pieces and transported three miles north, where in 2008 it was reassembled as the museum’s Visitors’ Center. Today, it stands as a vivid testament to Vegas’s mid‑century optimism—an architectural gem that, despite losing much of its structure, found new life celebrating the city’s neon and design heritage. In preserving La Concha’s lobby, Las Vegas saved and secured one of the world’s most important surviving examples of Googie architecture—a symbol of the city’s bold spirit, atomic-age flair, and the work of a true architectural visionary. The 10 acres of land once occupied by La Concha Motel is now an empty lot owned by The Siegel Group. The Siegel Group plans to redevelop the site, potentially with a hotel/casino.