Howard Hughes' residence at the Desert Inn

Billionaire Howard Hughes moved his corporate and personal holdings to Las Vegas in the late 1960s and purchased the Desert Inn in 1967, using its penthouse as a residence for a time. Hughes's investments marked a turning point in corporate ownership of Las Vegas casinos and are well documented in contemporary news accounts and business records. The Desert Inn operated on the Las Vegas Strip until it closed and was demolished in 2000 to make way for the Wynn resort. Hughes's association with the Desert Inn is frequently cited in histories of Las Vegas development and ownership.