Photos Courtesy of The Mob Museum)
THE MOB MUSEUM, THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ORGANIZED CRIME AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT, RECEIVES CENTENNIAL COMMISSION GRANT FOR BUILDING
DOCUMENTARY
The former U.S. Post Office and Courthouse building in which The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, is housed will celebrate its 90th anniversary on Nov. 11, 2023. To celebrate the building’s legacy, the critically acclaimed Museum will produce a documentary film generously funded by the Las Vegas Centennial Commission. The grant request was approved by the Las Vegas City Council on Nov. 2, 2022.
The Mob Museum’s film intends to tell the building’s story from its inception in the late 1920s and opening in 1933 through its use as a Museum in the 21st century. With a rich history, the building has held prominent criminal and civil court cases, the Kefauver Committee hearing in 1950 and provided longtime service as the community’s main post office. Following its reinvention as a Museum, the building now welcomes more than 400,000 visitors per year and a total of 3 million visitors since opening in 2012.
Included on the National Register of Historic Places, the Museum building has been recognized due to its past association with organized crime. It is also listed on the Nevada State Register of Historic Places (2002) and the City of Las Vegas Historic Property Register (2003).
Driven by the building’s well-documented history, the film will include interviews with historians and individuals who worked in the building and participated in its transformation into a Museum. A key story element will be the city’s acquisition of the building from the federal government and the process of determining that a Museum focused on the history of organized crime and law enforcement would be its best use.
The Mob Museum has an extensive collection of blueprints and video archives to showcase the building’s various uses over time. In addition, the Museum is closely associated with individuals who can place the building’s architectural design into historical context and discuss the renovations that restored the building’s historic look and feel.
“In a city often criticized for imploding buildings, we are proud to showcase the legacy and importance of one of Las Vegas’ longest-standing, historic structures. We’d like to thank the Centennial Commission and the Las Vegas City Council for supporting this project and all of the work they do to preserve history in our city,” said Museum President and CEO Jonathan Ullman.
Collaborating with the Museum on this project will be the Emmy Award-winning Boyd Productions, a film and audio production company that has produced several other documentary films on Las Vegas history.
Filming of the project will commence later this year and will wrap in time for the 90th anniversary of the building.
In addition, the Centennial Commission grant includes funding for the construction of a new permanent exhibit about the historic building that will debut in November 2023
ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today’s headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Museums;” one of Las Vegas Weekly’s “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History” and “Best Museum” by its 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards; one of National Geographic’s “Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;” USA Today’s “Best Museum in Nevada,” 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for “Best Las Vegas Attraction” in 2021, “Top Five Best History Museums in the United States” in 2021 and one of its “12 Can’t Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;” named “A Must for Travelers” by The New York Times and one of “20 Places Every American Should See” by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum’s free mobile app.
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