Club “21” Casino and Bar, Las Vegas, Ladies Cotton Tee

Venue History

Club “21” Casino was one of the most historically layered gambling spaces on the early Las Vegas Strip, operating as part of the Hotel Last Frontier complex during the 1940s, 1950s, and into the 1960s. Its story began before the Last Frontier itself, with the Pair-O-Dice, a small casino and nightclub that opened on Highway 91 in 1931, years before the road became known worldwide as Las Vegas Boulevard. When the builders of Hotel Last Frontier acquired the Pair-O-Dice property in 1941, they did not simply erase it. Instead, the distinctive octagonal casino building was incorporated into the new resort, which opened in 1942 as the second major hotel-casino on the Strip. Reintroduced as Club “21,” the former roadside club became part of the Last Frontier’s broader Western-themed resort environment. Club “21” reflected the transitional nature of Las Vegas at the time. It was not a massive casino floor in the modern sense, but rather a compact, personality-rich gaming room within a larger resort. Postcards and promotional materials from the 1940s advertised casino action such as roulette and slots, presenting Club “21” as a lively gambling attraction tied to the glamour and novelty of the Last Frontier. The venue benefited from the Last Frontier’s strong identity. The resort leaned heavily into Old West imagery, complete with Frontier Village, themed bars, restaurants, entertainment rooms, and rustic décor. Club “21” fit naturally into that atmosphere, giving guests a place to gamble while surrounded by the theatrical frontier styling that helped define early Strip tourism. Its importance lies partly in continuity. Club “21” preserved a piece of the Strip’s pre-resort history while carrying it into the hotel-casino era. It connected the primitive nightclub culture of the early 1930s with the more ambitious resort model that would dominate Las Vegas after World War II. Club “21” remained in use until the Last Frontier complex was demolished in 1966. It is remembered as a rare bridge between two eras: the rough roadside beginnings of the Strip and the themed casino resorts that transformed Las Vegas into an international destination. The property, directly across from Wynn Resorts’ Encore Las Vegas, is now an empty lot and has been since the demolition of New Frontier Hotel and Casino in 2007.