Casa de Shenandoah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Casa de Shenandoah |
|
|---|---|
,_Las_Vegas,_Nevada_(18192894732).jpg)
Aerial view of Casa de Shenandoah in May 2015
|
|
| Former names | Sunset Springs Ranch (2013–2014) |
| General information | |
| Address | 3310 East Sunset Road |
| Town or city | Paradise, Nevada |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 36°04′14″N 115°06′09″W / 36.070530°N 115.102457°W |
| Completed | 1978 (main house) |
| Opened | September 18, 2015 |
| Renovated | 2013, 2015 |
| Closed | April 24, 2018 |
| Owner | Smoketree LLC |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m2) (main house) |
| Grounds | 39.5 acres (16.0 ha) |
Casa de Shenandoah was once the amazing home of singer Wayne Newton. He used the large property as a ranch for many different animals. It is located on 39.5 acres (about 16 hectares) in Paradise, Nevada, near Las Vegas. Newton first bought five empty acres of land in 1966. Over time, he added more land and built several houses, including a big mansion finished in 1978.
In 2010, Newton wanted to open his estate to the public as a fun attraction. However, people living nearby were worried about extra traffic. County officials approved his idea, but there were delays. In 2012, his business partner, CSD LLC, had disagreements with him.
After these problems were sorted out, the property was put up for sale in 2013 and again in 2014. The estate finally opened as a public attraction on September 18, 2015, with Wayne Newton involved. It closed for updates on April 24, 2018. Newton said it would reopen, but he and his wife later decided not to continue with the public tours. The property was sold in 2019 to a company called Smoketree LLC. They put it up for sale again a year later.
The Story of Casa de Shenandoah
How Wayne Newton Built His Ranch
Singer Wayne Newton bought the first five acres of this land in 1966. It was just empty land back then. By 1967, his ranch, Casa de Shenandoah, already had a stable and a place for riding horses. Newton, his parents, and his brother and sister-in-law lived in a smaller guest house. They were planning to build a main house. Newton had ten horses and many dogs living on the ranch. His wife, Elaine, joined him there after they married in 1968. At that time, the ranch even had a Learjet plane! Newton bought more land between 1969 and 1972. The ranch eventually grew to 39.5 acres.
Animals and Cars at the Ranch
By 1970, Newton had a special stable for breeding Arabian horses on the ranch. Later, he moved his horse breeding to another ranch in Nevada. By 1973, Casa de Shenandoah had three houses and even a hospital for horses. In 1976, there were 120 Arabian horses living there. The ranch also had a heliport for helicopters and many cars in different garages. Newton's car collection included fancy Rolls-Royces. He even had a 1929 Duesenberg car that once belonged to Howard Hughes, a famous businessman. The estate also had natural artesian wells and lakes.
Building the Mansion
In 1976, work began on a new main house for the ranch. Newton and his wife lived in a six-bedroom house on the property. His parents lived in another house there. By 1978, a huge, southern-style mansion was almost finished. It cost $4 million to build. Newton designed the mansion himself. He said it was not a copy of the Tara plantation from the movie Gone with the Wind. After the mansion was built, Newton's wife decorated almost every room. Newton's office, called the Red Room, was an exception. It had red velvet walls and displayed his awards and special items.
Life on the Ranch
By 1979, Newton, his parents, and about 70 staff members lived on the ranch. Newton also had many animals roaming freely. These included deer, dogs, ducks, swans, and wallabies. Beautiful peacocks often visited the lakes on the property. Newton's sister-in-law, Tricia McCrone, said that people sometimes left their animals over the wall. They thought it was an animal sanctuary, especially for bunnies after Easter.
Famous Visitors and Events
U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited the ranch in 1982 for a special event. At that time, the ranch had eight separate homes, including the big mansion. Newton married Kathleen McCrone at the estate in April 1994. He also hosted private weddings there for others.
In August 2000, a small brush fire from a nearby park spread onto Newton's property. It burned about an acre of land. Staff quickly moved the animals to safety. Newton's collection of classic Rolls-Royce cars was also moved away from the garage. The fire on the property was put out quickly. Newton and his family were away in Boston for a show at the time.
In 2008, CBS News called Casa de Shenandoah one of the top five homes in the country. MTV Cribs also featured it as one of the top three "priciest pads."
Opening as an Attraction
Plans for Public Tours
In June 2010, a company called CSD LLC bought the estate for $18.7 million. They also bought ten more acres across the street. Lacy and Dorothy Harber were the main owners of CSD. The Newtons became 20 percent partners in the company. CSD and the Newtons planned to open Casa de Shenandoah as a public attraction. People would be able to take tours of the property. Newton said that many people wanted to see his home, and his wife thought such a special place should be shared.
The plans for Casa de Shenandoah were announced in September 2010. Tours would show Newton's car garage and his Fokker jet plane. Shuttle tours of the ranch would feature Newton's animal collection. This included African penguins, peacocks, and over 70 Arabian horses. Besides tours, the project would have a dinner theater, a museum, and a gift shop. These would be on the ten acres across the street. The museum would be a bigger version of Newton's Red Room. It would display items from his career and other famous Las Vegas entertainers. Newton called it a "hall of fame" for stars like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Neighborhood Concerns
A meeting was held in September 2010 for people living nearby. Many residents were against the project. They were worried about the extra shuttle bus traffic it would bring to their quiet area. Even though the museum and theater area was already zoned for businesses, Newton's home needed a special permit for tours.
In November 2010, the Clark County Commission approved the project. To help with traffic, the public entrance to Casa de Shenandoah would be on Sunset Road. Plans for a wedding pavilion were removed. Casa de Shenandoah was first expected to open in early 2011, but work was slow.
Problems and Delays
Work on the project stopped in May 2012. CSD LLC filed a lawsuit against Newton. They said that Newton and his family caused problems with the plans. They claimed the Newtons did not want to move out of the mansion. They also said Newton did not want to give his personal items for the museum. There were also disagreements about the number of horses on the property. Newton's lawyer said these claims were not true.
The Newtons also sued, saying that CSD's manager, Steve Kennedy, had entered their house without permission. They also said they were locked out of their horse barn. A judge ordered Kennedy to stay away from the family and the estate. Newton said the project could not continue with Kennedy in charge.
In June 2012, a judge said CSD could not move some of the horses. CSD said they spent a lot of money caring for the horses. They believed there should only be about 10 to 15 horses on the property, which had 51 Arabian horses. CSD had spent $50 million on the project by then. Later, CSD decided to call the new project "The Fabulous Las Vegas Museum."
In December 2012, a bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of the ranch and 13 acres across the street. The property was valued at $50.8 million. In April 2013, the Newtons, the Harbers, Kennedy, and others reached an agreement. This settled all the lawsuits.
New Plans and Reopening
Newton and his family moved out of Casa de Shenandoah in June 2013. They bought a new home nearby. Newton later said he was relieved to leave. He felt the legal battles were too much for his family.
After the legal issues, Lacy Harber became the full owner of CSD. The company planned to open the property as an attraction later that summer. However, some things were now missing, like Newton's animals and the museum of his personal items. The Harbers spent up to $20 million updating the property. This included new floors, bathrooms, and landscaping. In September 2013, the Harbers put Casa de Shenandoah up for sale for $70 million. It was one of the most expensive homes in Las Vegas. In December 2013, the property was renamed Sunset Springs Ranch.
In September 2014, the ranch was for sale again for $30 million. It was expected to be sold to a company that would build up to 80 homes there. Almost 1,000 people signed a petition to make the ranch a historical site. Later that month, Lacy Harber asked the Newtons if they wanted to get the property back. The Newtons agreed. This stopped the plans for new houses. Newton said, "This really is a piece of Las Vegas history. It would be a shame for it to be turned into something else." In December 2014, the name "Casa de Shenandoah" was brought back. The Newtons planned to restart the attraction project. The Harbers spent over $100 million to turn Casa de Shenandoah into a museum.
The Attraction Opens
A special party was held on September 17, 2015, before the public opening the next day. Many famous people attended. Wayne Newton said, "Nobody thought we'd be back here." The Newtons continued to live in their newer house. However, Wayne Newton visited the ranch every day. Within five days of opening, about 400 people visited the ranch daily.
The new Visitor Center across from the ranch had Newton's special items and shops. It also showed a short film about Newton's life and how Casa de Shenandoah was created. Wayne Newton himself narrated the video tour. There were three shops, named after Newton, his wife, and their daughter.
The tour showed Newton's collection of 13 rare cars. Most were Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. The collection included cars once owned by Johnny Carson and Liberace. There were also two unique cars: a 1934 Rolls-Royce and a 1983 Mercedes-Benz. The tour also featured Newton's collection of Native American artifacts, his private jet, military items, and letters from U.S. presidents. Newton's collection of items went back 60 years. The property had 1,000,000 square feet (about 93,000 square meters) of grass. The tour also included Newton's animal zoo.
Closing the Attraction
CSD LLC was allowed to hold events at the ranch with strict rules. These rules included no outdoor loudspeakers, no alcohol sales, and no events after dark. CSD also could not charge for events. However, these rules were sometimes not followed. Neighbors complained about loud music and traffic from events. County commissioner Jim Gibson said CSD was "doing things well beyond what they were authorized to do."
In early November 2017, a business group held a dinner event at the property. Neighbors complained that the event used loudspeakers and lasted after dark. This led to an investigation by county officials. Other events that caused complaints included a wedding and a car show. In April 2018, over 1,200 people attended a dining and dancing event with live music.
Casa de Shenandoah closed to the public on April 24, 2018. Newton said it needed to close for renovations. He hoped it would reopen soon. However, on July 10, 2018, the Newtons decided not to continue with the permits for the museum and tours. Newton said they were taking a break to decide what to do next. The animals on the property had to be moved by mid-September 2018.
Recent History
Sale and Legal Matters
Casa de Shenandoah was sold to Smoketree LLC in July 2019 for $5.56 million. Earlier that year, Newton had tried to buy back the estate. He thought they had an agreement, but was sad to learn it was sold to someone else. In August 2019, Newton took legal action against Smoketree. Smoketree believed the sale included all the items inside the estate. Newton said this was not true. He wanted to get back his antiques, art, and personal items. The visitor center and its 10-acre site were sold in September 2019 to another company. In February 2020, Newton won an early court decision to get his belongings back. Newton also owned the "Casa de Shenandoah" name, which was removed from the estate.
In August 2020, Smoketree put the estate up for sale for $29.9 million.
Images for kids
-
Aerial view of Casa de Shenandoah in May 2015
-
A horse at the ranch (2016)
-
Newton's automobile collection (2016)
