Dispelling Vegas Myths: The Restaurant on Top of the Famous Hotel Didn't Rotate
NOTE FROM EDITOR: "Vegas Myths Busted" publishes new stories each Monday and every once in a while, on Fridays. This particular narrative first appeared on January 27, 2023.
Many older casino-goers and ex-employees have fond memories of the restaurant atop the Landmark Hotel. They recall it as revolving, like a carousel. However, this wasn't the case. The Landmark's eating place was just as still as the ground beneath it—400 feet below.
And surprisingly, there weren't just one, but two restaurants there. One was called the Sunset Room, while the other was the Mandarin Room. There was also a lounge named Club 27. All these revolving table service ideas would have been pretty tricky for the staff.
But to set the record straight, a YouTube channel called Landmark Hotel & Casino investigated this Vegas legend in 2021. They acquired the blueprints of the tower, and guess what? The single dome of the Landmark's Space Needle-style structure had 32 steel support beams connecting its walls, right along the circumference. These beams would've blocked a moving platform near the windows, while the bathrooms hindered one further back.
There was also a second dome, the hotel's 31st floor, which held another lounge and a dance club—the SkyBar. With all these obstacles in place, such as an obstruction stairwell and elevator, revolving was definitely out of the question.
Think they missed something? The channel also went through the initial blueprints of the tower and the original marketing materials. There was absolutely no hint of movement anywhere. The Landmark's restaurants and bars reviews in newspapers didn't describe any revolving or movement either.
Memories must've merged the Landmark's restaurants with the Top of the World at the Strat, as this one spins 360 degrees every 80 minutes. The Strat, then known as the Stratosphere, opened in 1996, six years after the Landmark ceased to exist and a year following its implosion.
So there you have a myth dealt with! Now, let's move on to another Landmark-related tale...
A Man Crashed a Plane into the Landmark to Kill His Wife
In 1996, Tim Burton's movie "Mars Attacks" used footage from the Landmark's 1995 implosion to simulate its demise at the hands of Martians. But in actuality, there was another attack intended for the Landmark even before the film.
On August 2, 1968, at 9:25 pm, a Cessna 180 plane crashed into the Las Vegas Convention Center, located right across from the Landmark. The plane had been stolen from Alan Little, a card dealer at the Frontier Hotel. Tragically, the pilot, Everett Wayne Shaw, 39, was the only person to perish in the crash.
Shaw, an airplane mechanic at Jean Airport, was devastated by the demise of his month-old marriage. He decided to die by taking someone else with him. He snatched a Cessna 180 belonging to Nevada casino employee Alan Little and set out on his fateful flight.
Eye-witnesses reported that the plane suddenly veered up at the end, indicating that Shaw had planned to crash it into the Landmark's dome but made a mistake and instead clipped the "L" sign on top. The change in direction sent him on a downward spiral into the roof of the convention center.
As it turns out, it was an accident, not suicide.
As the tale often goes, Shaw had intended to plummet the plane into the Landmark's dome because he believed his wife was due to dine at the restaurant that night, potentially with a lover. However, this narration couldn't hold true. The Landmark didn't officially welcome guests until July 1, 1969; a whole year after Shaw's unfortunate incident.
"Vegas Myths Busted" is where you'll find more unraveled Vegas myths every Monday. Got a Vegas myth that annoys you? Let us know at .
(Disclaimer: The information provided in these myths is meant to be entertaining, not necessarily factually accurate.)
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Source: www.casino.org
