How a piece of Las Vegas Strip history ended up in Pahrump

Since its start in the early 1940s, the Las Vegas Strip has never stopped evolving and with old or damaged buildings continuously being torn down to make way for new ones, the history of these structures can easily be lost.

But for one historic Las Vegas resort, a little piece of its history has been preserved right here in the Pahrump Valley, under the care of local couple Joseph and Julie Ligotti.

The El Rancho Vegas opened its doors in 1941 and is considered to be the birthplace of what would eventually become the internationally known Las Vegas Strip.

For nearly two decades, it was a go-to resort for visitors to the state, many famous, but a fire ultimately resulted in its closure in 1960.

The Ligottis were lucky enough to acquire one of the rare surviving bungalows that hosted guests at El Rancho Vegas, which sits on Barney Street in Pahrump where it was restored to serve as guest housing once again.

“Designed by Wayne McAllister, El Rancho Vegas introduced the concept of the self-contained resort-casino, lodging, dining and entertainment all in one,” the Ligotti’s website ElRanchoVegas.online details. “Its Chuck Wagon buffet popularized all-you-can-eat dining in Las Vegas and it hosted celebrity weddings, including Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in 1958.

Although a fire destroyed the main complex in 1960, the guest cottages survived. One such bungalow was carefully moved to Pahrump in 1995 and restored. Today, it stands as a beloved historic site – listed on the Nevada State Register of Historic Places in 1998.”

The Ligottis said it wasn’t an easy, or cheap, endeavor to preserve the bungalow but with the two both longtime Nevadans who share a deep love for Las Vegas history, they were absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to do so.

“When I was about 20 or 21, I walked The Strip where these bungalows were and they were just all boarded up and it was very interesting,” Joseph told the Pahrump Valley Times when asked what had initially drawn him to the El Rancho Vegas. “I have a penchant for Las Vegas history and I did a lot of research on it as a young man.”

Happenstance then led the Ligottis to becoming good friends with a man who owned one of the original guest bungalows from the resort and Joseph knew immediately that he wanted to bring it to his own property in Pahrump. When their friend decided to sell his land to make way for an expansion at the then-McCarran Airport, the Ligottis hired a professional moving company and had the bungalow transported over the hill into Pahrump.

“We had a foundation built and ready for it and I spent about two years working on it with a friend of mine, getting everything up to snuff. We had to put in piping and get an air conditioning system and haul out all the bad asbestos materials, things like that,” Joseph explained. “We had to do modernizations, of course, but all the windows and the doors are exactly where the originals were, for the fireplace, which is in its original spot, we used some original brick - we didn’t alter the building in any way. We also put some rock in the front of it like the building had in its heyday, so it’s been it’s been a lot of fun.

“It took a lot of money and perseverance but we really wanted to save a piece of Las Vegas history that was about to be bulldozed, like everything else in Vegas that gets bulldozed,” Joseph concluded. “Nye County doesn’t have many buildings like this, that have a history like this and no one kind of knows about it - we’ve been kind of private quiet about it for many years but it’s just nice to see the building itself saved.”

The El Rancho Vegas bungalow in Pahrump is currently rented to tenants and is not available for public tours. However, readers can find more information, photos and resources for additional historical information on the resort at ElRanchoVegas.online

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com