8 Ball Bar and Casino, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

The 8 Ball Bar was a classic mid-century Las Vegas tavern that stood at 117 North 1st Street during the city’s formative years as a gambling destination. Operating roughly from the early 1940s through the late 1940s, the bar was part of the strip of small taverns, cafés, and social halls that clustered near Downtown’s burgeoning casino district just after Nevada legalized wide-open gambling in 1931. Unlike the larger resort casinos that would later define the Las Vegas skyline, the 8 Ball Bar was a neighborhood bar with slots, offering locals and visitors alike a laid-back place to drink, socialize, and try their luck. In October 1942, the Las Vegas City Commission approved the installation of eight slot machines at the 8 Ball Bar, reflecting how taverns of that era often served dual roles: social gathering spots and small gambling venues. The bar’s name – evocative of billiards and Americana nightlife – fit the casual, social culture of pre-Strip Las Vegas. During the 1940s, taverns like the 8 Ball were key community hubs where people congregated after work or after a night on Fremont Street. Its phone number, “808,” became a quirky part of its identity among patrons and appears in old Las Vegas city directories from circa 1942 through 1949. Ownership and management shifted over the years. In 1946, liquor licenses were renewed under different tavern owners, and by 1949, a change of ownership was noted with new licenses issued – reflecting the dynamic nature of small businesses in the early gaming era. As Las Vegas continued its explosive post-war growth and larger casino-hotel resorts began to dominate, many smaller bars like the 8 Ball either closed or transformed into new businesses. The 8 Ball’s license appears in records through the late 1940s, after which it fades from directories and commission minutes – typical of many modest downtown establishments swallowed up by the city’s rapid redevelopment. Though its run was relatively brief and its footprint modest, the 8 Ball Bar represents an important piece of Las Vegas history – a reminder of the city’s early tavern culture, where drinking, gambling, and social life blended in simple neighborhood joints long before the megaresorts and nightclub scenes arrived. Today, the property houses retail space that’s part of the Fremont Street Experience.