Dunes opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 1955 with an Arabian Nights identity and a giant fiberglass sultan above its entrance. The figure later moved to the rear of the property, facing the freeway. That changing landmark was only one part of a resort whose buildings, entertainment and fortunes developed over nearly four decades.
A difficult start and a growing entertainment business
The early business struggled. UNLV’s historical account describes the owners turning to the Sands management team in 1956 and a period when Dunes operated as a motel. Under Major Arteburn Riddle, entertainment helped establish a more durable identity. Minsky’s Follies arrived in 1957; Frederic Apcar later staged Vive Les Girls and the larger Casino de Paris production.
Restaurants and a larger hotel
Dining and accommodation also changed the property. The Sultan’s Table opened in 1961, while a high-rise addition followed in 1965. The Dome of the Sea offered a restaurant setting around a large aquarium. These were successive additions to the Dunes, rather than features of an unchanged opening-day hotel.
Closure before demolition
The resort closed in January 1993 after Steve Wynn acquired it. Sources disagree about the exact final day: contemporary Nevada Magazine reported January 25, while a later Neon Museum account describes January 26’s closing celebrations. The month is secure; closure should also be kept separate from the much later demolition spectacle.
The 1993 implosion and Bellagio replacement
On October 27, 1993, the north tower and tall roadside pylon were imploded in a production tied to the opening of Wynn’s Treasure Island. That blast removed major landmarks, rather than every piece of the resort in a single moment. UNLV’s account carefully describes the destruction of much of the Dunes. Bellagio eventually opened on the redeveloped site in October 1998.
A surviving sign at The Neon Museum
A smaller Dunes Entrance sign survived separately from the famous pylon. The Neon Museum acquired it in 2002 and later restored it. The museum’s object record dates restoration work to 2025; its September 2026 account reports the sign illuminated again. The preserved sign is therefore an off-site fragment, not evidence that the old casino still stands beside the Strip.
Reading the former site
The 1983 photograph shows the hotel tower, Dunes pylon and Oasis Casino frontage together. It records a later phase of the property. The map identifies the approximate former resort vicinity, where Bellagio now stands, rather than the museum collection or a surviving Dunes entrance.