Check out what the Sahara Hotel looked like before the SLS — PHOTOS

A man is seen in front of parts of a new Sahara sign, installed in 1986, that the Young Electric Sign Co. claimed would be the "tallest free-standing sign in the world," in this undated photo. (Scott Henry/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Construction of the Sahara hotel-casino is seen in this undated photo. (Wayne Kodey/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Construction of the Sahara hotel-casino is seen in this undated photo. (Rene Germanier/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A shopper leaves a target store July 18, 2006. (File)

The Sahara is seen in this March 1982 aerial shot. (Gary Thompson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A worker is seen installing a light on the Sahara hotel-casino sign in this May 10, 1983 photo. (Gary Thompson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A man is seen inside the sign in front of the Sahara in this May 13, 1982 photo. (Scott Henry/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A Don Rickles show is advertised on a Sahara hotel-casino sign on an undated, rainy night. (Review-Journal file)

The casino cage at the Sahara is shown in this Aug. 22, 1982 photo. (Wayne Kodey/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Slot mechanics empty machines for a comprehensive coin count at the Sahara in this Aug. 22, 1982 photo. (Wayne Kodey/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

"Del Webb‘s Sahara" featuring a Jerry Lewis dinner show is seen in this Nov. 21, 1981 photo. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

Fire crews work to extinguish a fire at the Sahara hotel-casino on Aug. 25, 1964. (Terry Todd/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A Don the Beachcomber restaurant (opened at the Sahara in 1962) at the Sahara hotel is shown in this undated photo. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

A Sahara hotel-casino employee reviews damage to cables after a fire in this undated photo. (Review-Journal file)

A new Sahara hotel-casino sign is installed in this undated photo. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

Diners attend an unknown event at the Sahara hotel in 1985. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

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By Kristen DeSilva reviewjournal.com

December 10, 2015 - 3:35 pm

The Sahara Hotel and Casino nearly made it to 60 years — the same lifespan as the Riviera hotel-casino — before closing in 2011. While it isn't usually remembered for star-studded galas and the typical "glitz and glam" of Las Vegas next to the Riv or the Sands, the Sahara definitely left its mark in Strip history.

As one of the last "Rat Pack" casinos, the Sahara helped turn lounge performances into the norm. Don Rickles was brought on and performed for multiple years, along with Louis Prima, the legendary swing musician.

Between 1961 and '63, the Sahara was purchased, redesigned, opened a Don the Beachcomber restaurant and built the tallest tower in Las Vegas (at least, for the time).

The hotel closed at 2 p.m. in May 2011, and in August 2014, the SLS Las Vegas debuted in its place.

Check out the gallery above.

Contact Kristen DeSilva at kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva