Early period The Cal-Neva Lodge was built in 1926 by real estate developer Robert P. Sherman. Canadian Army Colonel H. H. Betts went missing from his room at the Cal-Neva in 1929; his body was found over a year later some five miles away from the hotel. The lodge was first made nationally famous in late 1930 when actress
Clara Bow canceled checks owed to the casino worth $13,000. She claimed that she had believed that the chips she was using while playing
blackjack were worth 50 cents when they were actually valued at $100. In 1931, Nevada Governor
Fred B. Balzar signed Assembly Bill 98, which legalized gambling in Nevada. After being purchased by developer Norman Blitz, it became one of Nevada's earliest legalized casinos. Rumors abounded that the owners of the lodge intended to put a gambling boat on the lake. A group of investors bought the Cal-Neva in 1935, and recruited William "Bones" Remmer to act as its president and the
pit manager of the casino. That year a 13-year-old
Judy Garland performed at Cal-Neva for the first time. The original building burned down in 1937, causing $200,000 ($ today) worth of damage; the incident was thought to have been
arson but no charges were ever brought. Towards the end of World War II, the lodge was purchased from Remmer by Sanford Adler and a group of associates for $700,000; ($ today) Adler renamed the property
Cal Neva — dropping the hyphen — to match his Cal Neva hotel in
Reno, Nevada. However, this spelling of the name had been in common use since before the fire. Ownership was transferred once again on March 21, 1955, when a group led by Bert "Wingy" Grober purchased the lodge for $1 million. During this period, the hotel was frequented by members of the
Kennedy family including
John F. and his brother
Robert. It has remained popular with skiers over the decades since.
Ownership by Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra first visited Cal Neva in 1951; his trip made the national press as he overdosed on sleeping pills and this was reported to the local sheriff. Sinatra continued to frequent the lodge; on one occasion, he played a
jam session with
big band leader
Harry James and actress and singer
Betty Grable. Initially, he owned 25 percent of the property with
Hank Sanicola and
Paul "Skinny" D'Amato who each held 13 percent. D'Amato acted as Giancana's man. Sinatra gradually expanded his ownership of the casino; by 1962 he owned more than 50 percent share, with Sanicola holding 33 percent and Sanford Waterman owning the remaining shares. The shareholders decided to open the property year-round; it had only previously opened for the summer season. Sinatra built the Celebrity Room theater and installed a helicopter pad on the roof. He re-utilized
Prohibition-era smuggling tunnels beneath the property to allow mob members to move around the property without being seen by the public. One led from near the main building to his private chalet overlooking Lake Tahoe. The FBI suspected that the expansion was made using funds borrowed from
Jimmy Hoffa. Following a request by
Robert F. Kennedy, who had concerns over the press coverage of his and his brother's relationships with
Marilyn Monroe, Sinatra made accommodation available for her for a weekend before her death on August 4, 1962. During this period she was not allowed to leave and only Giancana was allowed to visit her. Even her former husband,
Joe DiMaggio, was turned away. She attempted suicide through a pill overdose, but she contacted the reception desk, and was rushed to the hospital where she had her
stomach pumped. The Sinatra period saw extravagant parties and visits by celebrities such as
Judy Garland,
Liza Minnelli,
Kim Novak,
Shirley MacLaine,
Sammy Davis Jr.,
Tony Curtis,
Janet Leigh,
Lucille Ball,
Desi Arnaz and
Richard Crenna. However, Sinatra's mood swings would sometimes determine how he responded to patrons and friends. Journalist
Herb Caen reported that he could be dismissive and insulting to those who annoyed him. After Giancana was spotted on the premises, Sinatra had his gambling license suspended by the
Nevada Gaming Control Board. The Cal Neva Lodge was leased to
Jack L. Warner in a deal which also saw a majority stake in
Reprise Records sold to
Warner Bros. Records and Sinatra gaining a one-third ownership in the new company.
Later period After leasing it to Warner for four years, Sinatra sought to sell the property to
Howard Hughes in 1967 as part of the renewal of his contract at the
Sands Hotel and Casino. Following a fallout between Hughes and Sinatra, the entertainer instead signed a contract with
Caesars Palace. This included a requirement for Sinatra's stake in Cal Neva to be purchased by his new employer for $2 million, but instead the lodge passed into the hands of the same owners as Reno's
Club Cal Neva in 1968 for $1.4 million. The new owners oversaw the construction of a ten-story expansion to the property. This added 200 rooms to the lodge, for which permission was given although the Nevada State Park Advisory Committee opposed the move. They sought to re-open the Cal Neva on July 1, 1969, but instead it partly opened in May of that year with the new expansion opening the following month. with the aim to lease it to the U.S. Capital Corporation, who in turn sought to sublease it to Tahoe Crystal Bay Inc. The stockholders of the Ohio Real Estate Investment Trust filed a lawsuit against the company in 1973, which resulted in the Cal Neva being placed into federal receivership. After opening year-round since Sinatra purchased the lodge, it closed for the winter season in 1974 due to a drop in visitors blamed on the
1973 oil crisis. The Cal Neva was sold in 1975 alongside the Crystal Bay Club to BKJ Corporation, which consisted of Everett Brunzell, Charles Ketchum, and Norman Jenson. The two clubs were purchased for a total of $9 million. The First National Bank of Nevada foreclosed on the property in early 1976 before selling it to
Kirk Kerkorian, a significant shareholder in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He owned the Cal Neva through his Tracinda Investment Corporation, a different entity than the one through which he owns his MGM shares. As part of the re-launch of the lodge, he convinced Dean Martin to return for a performance, for which
Cary Grant was also in attendance. Jon Perroton was arrested in 1985 for fraud after convincing
Hibernia National Bank to loan him $23 million towards the purchase price of Cal Neva. He had claimed that he had the backing of
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in custody. That same year, the lodge was purchased by real estate developer Chuck Bluth. Under Bluth, the building was renovated and the exterior of the main building was restored to how it looked in the 1960s. The hotel was named "Nevada's Best Getaway" in 1998 and cited as one of America's 50 Flagship Hotels.
Closure and renovations Bluth sold the lodge to
Ezri Namvar in 2005. However, the casino was in severe decline; by 2009 the revenue was around half of that received in 1992.
Canyon Capital Advisors foreclosed on a $25 million loan, and an auction open across two states failed to generate any bidders. The property finally ceased operations on 31 March 2010. Several other casinos in the Lake Tahoe area closed around the same time. Criswell-Radovan, LLC, a
Napa, California-based development company, purchased the property in the spring of 2013, intending to complete an extensive renovation of the property. The development project was originally estimated to take at least a year and was to include overhauls of the interior guest rooms, the Circle Bar, the casino, Frank Sinatra's Celebrity Room theater, and a complete upgrade of the exterior. The casino upgrade sought to restore the original 6,000-square-foot gaming floor, complete with a full slot machine display and the return of table games. The project was initially planned to be completed by December 2014, but reopening was repeatedly delayed due to difficulties with construction and financing. The company obtained a $29 million loan in November 2014 that allowed construction to begin. An additional $20 million equity line of credit was also financing the project. Criswell-Radovan filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2016, and the property was put up for auction. Billionaire
Larry Ellison was the sole bidder, purchasing the property for $35.8 million in January 2018. In April 2023 the property was bought by McWhinney, a real estate company in Denver, who announced plans to convert it into a luxury hotel. ==Architecture and location==