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Exterior of Boulder Dam Hotel
Courtesy of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Archive

Boulder Dam Hotel

1305 Arizona Street, Boulder City, NV 89005

Built in 1933

The Boulder Dam Hotel was built in 1933 in Boulder City, Nevada, to support workers building the Hoover Dam (then known as Boulder Dam) and to promote the area as a tourist destination. The concept of the hotel was made possible by businessman Jim Webb in 1932, who envisioned building a luxury hotel with private baths, air-conditioned rooms, and a wood-paneled lobby for guests. It was part of a planned government-built industrial town created during the Great Depression to house thousands of dam workers and their families.

Designed with modern comforts for its time, the hotel reflected the ambition and scale of the Hoover Dam project, which provided flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power to the American Southwest. It supported the development of major federal infrastructure, propelling the growth of not only Las Vegas but also neighboring cities such as Los Angeles and Phoenix. Famous guests of the Boulder Dam Hotel include stars like Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, and Howard Hughes.

Learn More:

• https://www.boulderdamhotel.com/history
• https://www.bcnv.org/1123/Our-History
• https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/12/16/nevada-landmark-hotel-celebrates-90th-anniversary/
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/hoover-controversy/

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Multiple vehicles parked outside the busy Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City, Nevada, circa 1930s.
L. F. Manis Photograph Collection. PH-00100. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

For questions or comments, please reach out to the Clark County Museum at ccmuseum@clarkcountynv.gov.