Paradise Palms is a Mid-century modern housing community in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

located between downtown and the city's University District. It was designated as a historic overlay district in 2021, the first such recognition in Clark County. The planned community, Las Vegas' first, was the brain child of Irwin Molasky in 1960 who hired the architectural firm of Palmer & Krisel to build a community within walking distance to his Boulevard Mall and when completed drew entertainers, mobsters and other members of the city's social scene. A house originally owned by Fred Glusman subsequently featured stays by Cher, Don Rickles, Diana Ross and other Vegas entertainers. The original homes off Cayuga Parkway debuted in 1960 and were developed by Molasky and Adelson's Paradise Homes. In 1963, other builders were added to the community, including California-based Americana Homes, Tropical Estates by Vallee Development, Stellar Greens by D.L Bradley, Miranti Homes and Fontainebleau Estates by Eastern Enterprises. The inspiration for Paradise Palms was Palm Springs, California, which exhibited a similar post-World War II population boom.The land on which the houses were built was originally part of the Stardust Golf Course, now known as Las Vegas National. The neighborhood and construction thereof were featured in a 2011 exhibit, ''A Place in Paradise...the Quintessential Las Vegas Neighborhood''.

Notable homes and residents

Famous residents of Paradise Palms throughout the decades have included celebrities Dean Martin, Johnny Carson, Sonny Liston, Debbie Reynolds,

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

' protégé

Robert Maheu Robert Aime Maheu (October 30, 1917 – August 4, 2008) was an American businessman and lawyer, who worked for the FBI and CIA, and as the chief executive of Nevada operations for the industrialist Howard Hughes. Early life Maheu was born in Wa ...

, Bobby Darrin, Dionne Warwick,

Foster Brooks Foster Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of a lovable drunk in nightclub performances and television programs. Early life Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentucky on ...

Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and ...

Buddy Hackett Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American actor, comedian and singer. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in ''The Music Man'' (1962), Benjy Benjamin in ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Wo ...

Pat Cooper Pat Cooper (born Pasquale Caputo; July 31, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. Life and career His father Michael Caputo was a bricklayer from Mola di Bari, Italy and his mother, Louise Gargiulo was born in Brooklyn, New York, where Cooper ...

Shecky Greene Shecky Greene (born Fred Sheldon Greenfield; April 8, 1926) is an American comedian. He is known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he became a headliner in the 1950s and '60s. He has appeared in several films, including ' ...

Rip Taylor Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself (and others ...

, and mobster Sam "Baby Shoes" Prezant. Other former residents include politicians

Jack Vergiels John M. "Jack" Vergiels (November 21, 1937 – December 16, 2009) was an American educator and politician. He was born in Erie, Michigan on November 21, 1937. His family moved to Ohio, where Vergiels was raised. He earned a bachelor's, master's, ...

, Melvin D. Close, Jr, Imogene Ford and various casino strip entertainment executives such as

Ash Resnick Irving "Ash" Resnick (March 6, 1916 – January 18, 1989) was an American mob figure, gambler, boxing promoter and manager. Resnick was also a former college and professional basketball player, having played, in college, for the New York Universi ...

Jimmy Newman Jimmy Yves Newman (August 29, 1927 – June 21, 2014), better known as Jimmy C. Newman (the C stands for Cajun), was an American country music and cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry. Early life Newman was born ...

and

Jerry Gordon Jerry Gordon is an American radio broadcaster. He is the afternoon news anchor on KNIH in Las Vegas, Nevada. His voice-over work included 10 years as "the voice of Disney." He previously worked at KSFO in San Francisco. He is originally from New ...

References

External links

* {{Las Vegas Valley Buildings and structures in Las Vegas Planned communities in Clark County, Nevada