Milton Prell (September 6, 1905 – June 2, 1974) was a hotel owner and developer most notable for his projects in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
, Nevada.
Early life
Prell was born to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in Saint Louis, Missouri; as a young man he moved to Los Angeles, California. He was good friends with
Colonel Tom Parker
Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997), , best known as the manager of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. Elvis married Priscilla in Prell's apartment at Las Vegas'
Aladdin hotel-casino in a private wedding shielded from the media. Prell was married to Devorah Zion on July 9, 1945; they had one child, Sheila Prell (Sonenshine).
Career
Prell started in the gambling business with a "bingo palace" in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. Prell ordered that the prizes were to be given out honestly to the players and word got out that the place was to be trusted. The bingo palace thrived.
Prell was an automobile salesman and later a successful jewelry salesman in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
. In 1937, he moved to
Butte, Montana
Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to th ...
, where he opened the 30 Club.
[
Prell and his family eventually relocated to Las Vegas in 1945, with plans to open a small hotel there. Prell's first project in Las Vegas was Club Bingo, opened on the ]Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas cit ...
in 1947. Prell later opened the $5.5 million Sahara hotel-casino on the property in 1952. Called "The Jewel in the Desert" by Prell, the Sahara had a Moroccan theme with statues of camels standing in front of the hotel. Prell sold the Sahara to Del Webb
Delbert Eugene "Del" Webb (May 17, 1899 – July 4, 1974) was an American real estate developer, and a co-owner of the New York Yankees baseball club. He is known for founding and developing the retirement community of Sun City, Arizona, and fo ...
in 1961.
In 1965, Prell bought the Aladdin hotel-casino from the Indiana-based Cook Brothers Trusts for $10.25 million on the Las Vegas Strip. The place had been failing and Prell remodeled it and added an Arabian Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
theme; it opened in 1966. Prell had added restaurants, a lounge, a 500-seat showroom and a golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The ...
.''Las Vegas Sun''
At the same time, Prell's brother-in-law sold his mattress business so Prell could purchase
The Mint Hotel and Casino on
Fremont Street
Fremont Street is a street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada that is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas Valley – and Nevada – besides the Las Vegas Strip. Named in honor of explorer and politician John C. Frémont and located in the ...
. Prell promised his brother-in-law a job and made him the manager.
Illness and death
Some time later, Prell suffered a stroke. Prell needed to use a wheelchair much of the time, but continued to walk with two canes through the casino to his office each morning. The Aladdin's profits were dropping and eventually he could not keep up and the Aladdin was sold. He died in 1974.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prell, Milton
1905 births
1974 deaths
Businesspeople from St. Louis
People from the Las Vegas Valley
American casino industry businesspeople
20th-century American Jews
20th-century American businesspeople
American real estate businesspeople