Milton Prell

Milton Prell (September 6, 1905 – June 2, 1974) was a hotel owner and developer most notable for his projects in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1][2]

Milton Prell
Born(1905-09-06)September 6, 1905
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 1974(1974-06-02) (aged 68)
Occupationhotel owner, developer
Spouse(s)Devorah Zion (1945–1974, his death)
Children1

Early life

Prell was born to a Jewish family[3] in Saint Louis, Missouri, as a young man he moved to Los Angeles, California. He was good friends with Colonel Tom Parker, best known as the manager of Elvis Presley. 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. 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. In 1937, he moved to Butte, Montana, where he opened the 30 Club.[4] Frank Schivo and his family were residents of Butte, where Frank's mother Emma operated a small café and bar. The Schivos and the Prells became friends early on and Frank went to work in Prell's casino behind his retail operation which was a front for the illegal but tolerated gaming operation. Schivo became a protégé of Prell and travelled with him to Reno and Las Vegas, looking for the right opportunity.

Prell and his family eventually relocated to Las Vegas in 1945, with plans to open a small hotel there. Milton Prell's first project in Las Vegas was Club Bingo, opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 1947. Prell later opened the $5.5 million Sahara hotel-casino on the property in 1952.[4] Eda Schivo, sister of Frank Schivo, would become Prell's private executive secretary, and Frank was Prell's key employee in the Club Bingo and the Sahara hotel. 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 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.[5] The place had been failing and Prell remodeled it and added an Arabian Nights theme; it opened in 1966. Prell had added restaurants, a lounge, a 500-seat showroom and a golf course.[6]

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. Prell promised his brother-in-law a job and made him the manager.

Illness and death

Some time later, Milton 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
  1. Casino gambling for the winner Lyle Stuart - 1978 - Page 14
  2. Las Vegas Babylon: true tales of glitter, glamour, and greed Jeff Burbank - 2006 -- Page 43
  3. Marschall, John P. (February 1, 2008). Jews in Nevada: A History. University of Nevada Press. p. 173. ISBN 9780874177374.
  4. "Milton Prell Top New Man At Beautiful New Hotel". Las Vegas Sun. October 27, 1952. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  5. "Indiana Trusts In Bankruptcy Make Millions". The Piqua Daily Call. Piqua, Ohio. April 21, 1972. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. The Aladdin case began in 1965 when the Cook Brothers trusts of Indiana sold the hotel for $10.25 million to Milton Prell's Prell Hotel Corp..
  6. Las Vegas Sun Archived 2006-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
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