Pyramids Motel, Las Vegas, Ladies Cotton Tee

Venue History

The Pyramids Motel holds a quiet but meaningful place in Las Vegas history as one of the early Strip-era motels, signaling the transition from small lodging houses to the resort spectacle the city would later become. Built and opened in December 1952 by young developer Irwin Molasky, the 18-unit property was located on the Las Vegas Strip between the brand-new Sands Hotel and the Flamingo Hotel. Devoting himself to this project, Molasky recalled, “On the Strip right next to the Flamingo, I built a little motel of 19 units called The Pyramids. I actually built some concrete-block pyramids in front to designate the name.” The property opened the same day as the Sands, December 15 1952, positioning itself in fast-changing surroundings. With its distinctive pyramid-shaped décor at the entrance, the motel aimed to catch the eye of motorists on Las Vegas Blvd. South and offer clean, affordable lodging near the emerging entertainment corridor. At a time when casinos and motels were multiplying, the Pyramids Motel exemplified the smaller developer’s contribution to the city’s growth. Despite its modest size, the Pyramids Motel is significant for its role in launching Molasky’s long and influential career in Las Vegas real-estate development. As Molasky built his first motel project, he went on to build hospitals, malls, golf communities and office towers across the city. The motel’s independent run did not last into the major resort era: the Pyramids was eventually sold and demolished in the early 1970s, its site incorporated into larger developments such as the then-Holiday Casino (now Harrah’s Las Vegas) and parking expansions. Though the Pyramids Motel is gone, its brief life reflects a formative moment in Las Vegas: the era when ambitious young builders crafted small-scale motels alongside area icons, contributing to the Strip’s layered evolution. Its legacy survives in photographs, oral-history archives and the story of how the built-landscape of Las Vegas was shaped one modest structure at a time. Today, the lands that once hosted The Pyramids Motel is a part of the property footprint for Harrah’s Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.