The Last Nights at The Western

2 minute read
In November 2010, photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally spent 10 days in Las Vegas shooting the Western Hotel, which closed its doors this month. A passerby near The Western makes her way down Freemont Street.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
By Josh Sanburn

In the world of casinos, you don’t think of Mom & Pop joints, but of mega-sized names like Wynn, Trump and Caesar. Jackie Gaughn and the Western Hotel & Casino don’t usually come to mind. But for gamblers living along Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, the Western was an institution, and a cheap one at that: $1 shots, $1 Coors Draft, $1 craps, $2 blackjack.

A Week at The Western Hotel – Las Vegas, NV. from Facing Change on Vimeo.

When it was built in 1970, the Western was the country’s largest bingo parlor. It soon became the kind of place where all the regulars knew each other, like the gambler’s version of Cheers. But as Las Vegas became supersized, the Western slowly lost ground. Gaughn, who owned the Western since it opened, sold it in 2004. And as the rest of downtown Las Vegas was reinventing itself, the Western stuck out like a desert artifact—the same reason it remained popular among the hotel and casino’s loyalists.

In November 2010, photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally spent 10 days shooting the Western, capturing the colorful and eclectic characters within the hotel. “I felt as though I knew every one immediately though I had never been there before,” she says. But by Monday, the Western had closed its doors, its rooms boarded up and its casino floor silent. The closing will make way for further redevelopment of the Fremont East District. But it’s unlikely that Las Vegas will see the likes of the Western again. “I cried when I heard that it was closing,” Kenneally says. “It was a place that you were just happy knowing existed—like the world that could sustain a place like The Western was a better world.”

Brenda Ann Kenneally is a Brooklyn-based photographer and founder of The Raw File. See more of her work here.

Josh Sanburn is a reporter-producer at TIME. Follow him on Twitter @joshsanburn.

In November 2010, photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally spent 10 days in Las Vegas shooting the Western Hotel, which closed its doors this month. A passerby near The Western makes her way down Freemont Street.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A man in a Gorilla suit passes in front of The Western on his way home from the Veterans Day Parade.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
Betty, a friendly cocktail waitress who worked at The Western for over 30 years. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A patron waits for the daily special of fried chicken at The Western's The Easy Street Cafe.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
The Westerns meals are ample and cheap. $5.99 for a plate of fried fish is so large that patrons bring containers and leftovers become tomorrow's meals.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
Linda lives in the Palm hotel just down the street from The Western, where she frequently visits friends at the bar.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A patron and fan of karaoke kicks up her feet at the lounge. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A husband and wife at The Western's karaoke night.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A couple dancing to a slow number at karaoke night. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A regular belts out a number at The Western's karaoke night.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A couple embrace at The Western's bar.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
A lucky winner counts her take at The Western's casino. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
Laura in her room that borders The Western. Many of The Western's patrons live in the neighborhood within walking distance.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
Nancy, a regular at The Western, plays the slots and complains of a five-year losing streak. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
The Western's slot machines are the only ones in Vegas that still pay out in coins as opposed to vouchers or swipe cards. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
Maximo, a regular, on a Saturday outing of nickel games and country fried steak.Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME
Angel has been away for a while and is passing through on her way to Texas. Here she props up photos of her toddlers as she plays the games. Brenda Ann Kenneally for TIME

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