AN INTERVIEW WITH IRWIN MOLASKY An Oral History Conducted by David G. Schwartz The Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project Oral History Research Center at UNLV University Libraries University of Nevada Las Vegas ©The Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2014 Produced by: The Oral History Research Center at UNLV - University Libraries Director: Claytee D. White Project Manager: Barbara Tabach Transcriber: Kristin Hicks Editors: Maggie Lopes, Stefani Evans Interviewer: David G. Schwartz ii The recorded Interview and transcript have been made possible through the generosity of Dr. Harold Boyer. The Oral History Research Center enables students and staff to work together with community members to generate this selection of first-person narratives. The participants in this project thank the university for the support given that allowed an idea the opportunity to flourish. The transcript received minimal editing that includes the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. In several cases photographic sources accompany the individual interviews. The following interview is part of a series of interviews conducted under the auspices of the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Claytee D. White, Project Director Director, Oral History Research Center University Libraries University Nevada, Las Vegas ii i PREFACE Irwin Molasky came to Las Vegas in 1951, during a time when "everyone knew everyone else," and there was a small, but strong Jewish community. An Army veteran, Irwin and his wife moved to Las Vegas after living in California for a short time. Irwin soon built The Pyramids, a Strip motel next to the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. The Pyramids opened the same day as its northern next-door neighbor, The Sands Hotel and Casino, on December 15, 1952. Irwin used his newly acquired contractor's license to become on the city's most important real estate developers. Over the next 60 years, he built everything from residential housing, including Paradise Palms to commercial properties. Projects included Sunrise Hospital and the surrounding medical buildings; Sunrise City Shopping Center and other power centers; Bank of America Plaza and much other downtown development; and golf courses. When the recession hit, Irwin began bidding on government projects across the country, successfully shielding his business and employees from the economic downturn. Irwin's real estate ventures not only had a tremendous impact on Las Vegas' economic development, but a substantial effect in social programming. Irwin donated 40 acres of prime real estate to the University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV) so that university could expand. Additionally, he was the Founding Chairman of the UNLV Foundation and received an honorary doctorate in humanities. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Interviews with Irwin Molasky on April 23, 2014 by Dave Schwartz in Las Vegas, Nevada Preface iv Describes the Las Vegas community, particularly the Jewish community, during early 1950s. Talks about building motel, The Pyramids, on Strip; layout of other hotels on the Strip during that time; star policies; partner Allard Roen. Discusses the building of Stardust, and its acquisition by Desert Inn; visiting Paris with Allard to look at show Lido for Desert Inn; brings Lido to Desert Inn, setting the stage for elaborate shows like Cirque du Soleil 1-12 Talks about building of Desert Inn Golf Course; selling homes around the course; creating Tournament of Champions; building course at Stardust. Describes Paradise Palms development; other real estate ventures in the city. Discusses starting Sunrise Hospital; his partners; its growth into the service provider it is today 13-19 Speaks about Jewish community in Las Vegas; its changes over time; growth of city's synagogues. Discusses projects on Maryland Parkway; acquiring land to ensure UNLV's expansion; building projects in downtown area; "green" development; winning bids to construct federal buildings nationally. Mentions influential leaders within the Jewish community 20-28 Index 29-30 v This is Dave Schwartz. Today is April 23, 2014. I'm sitting here with Irwin Molasky in the Molasky Corporate Center. So Mr. Molasky, can you tell me a little bit about how you came to Las Vegas and when that was? I'm just thinking out loud. Yes. When you mentioned to me about for the last 67 years in the Jewish community having to do with Las Vegas? Yes. I got here in 1950-51. So let's say that's 64 years. Yes. So that's about the time you're talking about. Yes. I want to make sure that you understand that—you're not [just] going to be writing about me, right? No. It's everybody. Okay. I've been asked to write many books. Yes. And I've turned them all down. Yes. Okay. By some very prominent writers. I'm sure. Around the country. And I've turned them down. So I want to make sure that this is not just about 1 me. No. Or my story. I just want to go on record with you. It's about your perceptions of the Jewish community in Las Vegas. Yes. Of course, you're a prominent member of that community. That's all right. But it's your perceptions of what was going around—and the changes you've seen since 1951. Okay, that's fine. Certainly, they're big ones. Okay. I just want to go and be structured. I understand. Okay. So you moved here in 1951. Right. Tell me a little bit about what the Jewish community, and what was the community in general was like in Las Vegas in 1951? I think the city had a population of about 25,000 and the county was probably another 20,000 or so, so under 50,000 as a population. There was a very small Jewish community. I would say that there were about 10,000 Jewish people here at that time. That's a guess. Ok. How does that jive in with what you know? Sounds pretty accurate. 2 Okay. The town was strictly a western town. Most everybody knew everybody else. When I moved here I moved into a rental house I rented on South Sixth Street near Charleston. That was a residential area over there. I had gotten out of the Army and moved to Florida for a year to build GI housing. I was a young kid, and quite successful I might add. My wife at that time didn't like it in Florida, so after a year we picked up and moved back to California where I did some spec building for six months or a year, and then I moved here and decided to build a motel. Okay. On the Strip, right next to the Flamingo. In the location that is now the Holiday Inn. I built a little motel of 19 units. okay. Called The Pyramids. I actually built some concrete block pyramids in front to designate the name. It was right on the highway. My parents were my partners. We were on well water. There was no water to the area. We started a district called Sanitation District Number One and we put sewer lines out toward the Strip. That was, in effect, the reason the city never could take the county into its borders. Yes. So good, bad or indifferent, that's the reason the county has separate— Nobody knows this, I guess. That's the reason the county is separate from the city, because of the sanitation sewer district. Yes. So we were able to keep the county separate, which was our desire at the time. Why was that? It still is as far as I'm concerned. 3 Why? What were the reasons for that? Why do you want to go into more supervisory boards and be relegated to the whims of politicians? Good point. We elected our own board of county commissioners who were friendly to us on the Strip. Okay. That's just a little afterthought. In those years, I went to get a telephone. I found out that I had to wait for three months to get a three-party line. I bet you don't know what that is. No. That means that three different people had that number. Okay. They couldn't service everybody. There were no dial tones at that time, no rotary lines. You'd pick up the phone like this and say get me three four seven. Yes. Usually one of the three parties might have been on the phone, so you would gently put it back down, hopefully, and wait another five or ten minutes, then pick it up, and then wait; then you go like this a little bit [tapping] so they know you're waiting. PAMELA PUPPEL: That's amusing. It is. That was the telephone system in those days. But it worked. I can't imagine that you would have that patience now. I wouldn't. Right. 4 who were your neighbors on the Strip and why build a motel on the Strip? Well, it's obvious. Even though it was 50, 60 years ago, it was still the Strip. The Flamingo had been built. We opened The Pyramids on December 15, 1952. Our next-door neighbor north of us was the Sands Hotel, which opened the same date that we opened, December 15, 1952. Their opening act was Danny Thomas. Ok. I didn't know him, but I've heard of him. I became friendly with him as he used to walk. He was a great walker. He used to walk blocks and blocks and got to know me.