Bird Cage: A Casino That Lost on the Lucky Corner

From bank to casino

The corner held First State Bank from the early townsite period and later First National Bank of Nevada. The old bank building was demolished in 1957 before the casino development. Bird Cage therefore occupied a historic banking site, not simply an intact bank converted without rebuilding.

License applicants Stewart R. Kennard Jr. and Maurice W. Fortney were Los Angeles bakers. Las Vegas participants included Stanley W. McDonald and Leonard D. Marxen. Contemporary plans described a $600,000 project, seven games, 102 slots and a $218,000 bankroll; these are planned figures rather than a verified inventory for every operating day.

Opening on Fremont

Sources differ between New Year's Day and January 8, 1958, for the opening. Both place the club at the beginning of that year. Photographs establish its appearance at 100 Fremont beside the newly opened Mint.

The location promised visibility and passing customers, but visibility did not guarantee enough profitable play. This was a compact downtown gambling business, not a hotel resort with rooms and conventions to support it.

A keno dispute and a failed recovery

The casino temporarily closed in November 1958 while operators considered remodeling and a new concept. They sought permission for additional keno games, arguing that the expanded offering was necessary. City officials denied the request in January 1959.

Later collector history connects large keno payouts with the casino's weak capitalization. That account may explain pressure on the bankroll, but it should not replace contemporary reporting that emphasized inadequate patronage.

The evidence supports an unsuccessful operation, not an invented tale of bankruptcy. Fortney reportedly said the business was not bankrupt when it finally closed.

The Mint takes the corner

Permanent closure came in late April 1959, with sources differing by one day. Approximately twenty-five employees reportedly lost their jobs. Around 1960 the Mint expanded into the space, giving the corner a new role within a larger casino.

The Mint later became part of the Horseshoe/Binion's footprint. Bird Cage is thus a short independent episode inside a much longer downtown parcel history.

Its failure illustrates why a casino's location, capital and sign are not enough on their own. The business still needed a sustainable volume of play, and the same valuable corner could serve a stronger purpose when combined with a neighbor.