Mob Museum Unveils Gangster Goodies.
Step aside, Ocean’s Eleven! There’s a new heist in town stealing the spotlight. This time, the loot isn’t casino cash—it’s history itself. The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (aka The Mob Museum) is making us an offer we can’t refuse with their brand new documentary, “This Building of Ours: The Story of a Las Vegas Landmark.” Zipping along faster than you can say “fuggedaboutit,” this hour-long flick takes us on a whirlwind tour of one of Sin City’s most infamous buildings.
Once upon a time in the Wild West, Las Vegas was just a dusty railroad stop, but it soon grew into a bustling city. By the 1920s, the only thing missing was a federal building. Las Vegans had to schlep over 400 miles to Carson City just to visit a federal courthouse.
Enter our star of the show: a structure that’s seen more drama than a mob wife’s diary. Opening its doors on Nov. 11, 1933, this architectural godfather served as the city’s first U.S. post office and courthouse. But finding a home for this concrete consigliere wasn’t easy, as the documentary explains. The chosen site was near the red-light district and a thriving Black community—during segregation, no less.
Eventually, everything was smoothed over, and “This Building of Ours” found its permanent home on Stewart Avenue.
Once built, this joint became hotter than a Tommy gun. For decades, it was the go-to spot for mailing letters, facing the music in federal court, and rubbing elbows with G-men. But in 1950, it really made a name for itself when the U.S. Senate’s Kefauver Committee rolled into town. Suddenly, our humble building was playing host to a who’s who of organized crime. It was a family reunion, but with more subpoenas and the f in Family capitalized.
That’s not all, though. Before he was dropping atomic bombs, Harry Truman was dropping by to investigate defense spending during World War II. Maverick newspaper publisher Hank Greenspun battled the Mob and a political rival in separate trials, proving the pen is mightier than the sword. Even Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, took the stand before a grand jury in the 1960s. That’s the real rat pack.
There are some stunning rare photos and fascinating footage showing these historical events throughout the documentary.
As Vegas grew bigger than a gambler’s debt, the need for more federal courthouses expanded, too. The building was basically an abandoned relic. But inspiration struck when the federal government sold the building to the City of Las Vegas for a cool $1 in 2002. The catch? It had to be used for history and preservation.
Enter Oscar Goodman, Las Vegas mayor and former mob lawyer extraordinaire. He saw the building as his ticket to revitalizing Downtown. But his idea of turning it into a mob museum hit many residents like a pair of cement shoes. Some folks were sweating bullets, worried their shady pasts might come to light. But Goodman wasn’t about to sleep with the fishes. He recruited Ellen Knowlton, a recently retired FBI bigwig, to chair the museum’s board. She made sure the exhibits showed that crime doesn’t pay (unless you’re selling tickets to a mob museum, that is).
After a snazzy makeover, The Mob Museum opened its doors on Feb. 14, 2012. And what better way to celebrate the holiday of romance than with a nod to the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre? On that bloody day in 1929, seven men from Chicago’s North Side Gang got a lead-filled love letter courtesy of Thompson submachine guns. While the triggermen remain unknown, many fingers point at Al Capone’s South Side Gang. It was also the perfect day to unveil the new museum’s piece de resistance: The actual brick wall from the massacre, riddled with bullet holes and steeped in history.
Fast-forward to today, and the museum is unveiling a new second-floor exhibit that’ll have you saying, “bada bing, bada boom.” It’s all about the building’s own colorful past. Among the treasures on display is a Prohibition-era liquor bottle found hidden in a wall during restoration. Yep, it’s a real liquid asset!
Ultimately, this “This Building of Ours” has more stories than a wiseguy has alibis. From courtroom dramas to tourist attraction, it’s seen it all.
So, whether you’re a made man or just a regular Joe, The Mob Museum is the place to be this summer. After all, the house always wins in Vegas—but at The Mob Museum, you’re guaranteed to leave a little richer in history. Just remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… unless it ends up in a museum exhibit! Cool off in the speakeasy in the basement, or if you’re feeling like a rat, stay home and watch “This Building of Ours” for free on YouTube. It will also be airing on cable channel 2 and at www.kclv.tv/live
