Are these statues survivors of the tragic MGM Grand fire of 1980?

It’s a mystery even local historians can’t crack.

Are the statues local history buff Jeff Young acquired in a recent estate sale survivors of the notorious MGM Grand fire that killed 85 people in 1980?

Available evidence appears to suggest they are.

Young wants to know the answer because he believes that if the statues are truly survivors of the fire that they should be publicly displayed as the artifacts they are.

A photograph from the fire in the Review-Journal’s photo archives could provide some answers.

Young, who has been in the antiques business for 15 years, said he agreed to attend an estate sale for William Hunter, who died in September 2024 after a career in Las Vegas, retiring as the director of engineering at what at the time was Bally’s.

The Strip property with more than 2,000 rooms opened as the MGM Grand in December 1973. It along with the MGM Grand in Reno was purchased by Bally Manufacturing in April 1986.

But in between those two owners came what was considered one of the worst high-rise fires in history on Nov. 21, 1980. Eighty-five people died in the blaze, which started in one of the property’s restaurants. Most of the victims died of smoke inhalation and in the disaster’s aftermath, local governments approved new fire codes and safety measures.

The hotel-casino had a low-key reopening on July 29, 1981.

In the following years, the property had a series of name and ownership changes as Bally Manufacturing became Bally Entertainment, Bally was purchased by Hilton Hotels Corp. Hilton’s casino division was spun off into Park Place Entertainment, which eventually was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment in 2005.

After Harrah’s became Caesars Entertainment Corp. in 2013, it eventually renamed what was then still known as Bally’s to Horseshoe, one of many Caesars brands, in 2022.

Over the years, many physical changes were made to the hotel entrance, including the elimination of the fountain and its statutes.

Three statues purchased

At the estate sale, Young purchased three statues — two of women that each weighed about 400 pounds, and another of a cherub. Young said it took five men to move and load the statues when he bought them. He had a hunch that the statues were once part of the fountain display at the entrance to the MGM Grand because he saw pictures of them in a postcard he saw in UNLV’s archives.

“I believe the original fountain had four of the ladies,” he said in an interview. “Then there was what I believe was Neptune or Poseidon. And then I think there were three cherub boys. So, I have one cherub and then two of the ladies,” he said.

The Review-Journal reached out to local historians to see what they knew of the statues. None of them had any leads to the background of the statues or their history.

In a photo of the aftermath of the fire, the statues appear to be part of the fountain display. Young is hoping someone familiar with the property can verify that they are the same statues.

Young said he was about 9 when the fire occurred, but his interest in the statues and the fountain were piqued when he visited UNLV’s archives and recounted the disaster.

He said it’s unclear where the best final resting place would be for the statues but he hopes they can be displayed publicly.

Neon Museum display?

It’s unclear whether The Neon Museum would be interested in displaying one or more of the statues.

Aaron Berger, executive director of the museum that displays historic items from casino properties, mostly neon signs, said he’s unsure whether the statues could be displayed, but said he would have one of his representatives reach out to Young to discuss the possibility.

In the meantime, Young is hopeful someone with knowledge of the statues will surface to verify their origin.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.