Liberace museum celebrates 20th anniversary

He was known worldwide as "Mr. Showmanship" because of his impact on the entertainment world, but famed pianist Liberace considered the museum bearing his name his greatest accomplishment.

The museum celebrates its 20th anniversary Thursday by offering special guided tours and exhibits to mark the occasion.

Liberace came here on a fluke in 1944 and remained to become the city's top entertainer and one of its most beloved citizens.

He died Feb. 4, 1987 of complications of AIDS.

"Liberace always felt the museum was the most successful thing he'd ever accomplished," Jamie James, Liberace's longtime publicist, said Tuesday.

Liberace opened the museum here on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1979, after two aborted attempts elsewhere. He first sought to open one in a mansion in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., then had a brief run at his posh home in Hollywood Hills, Calif. Neighbors complained of the traffic at the California site, so he began shopping around for a Las Vegas location.

He decreed that the money from the museum would be used to achieve one of his longtime goals - funding scholarships for students across the country.

The museum serves as a key funding source for The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts which has funded more than $3.6 million in scholarship grants at 40 universities and schools across America.

In the years since it opened, the museum has become one of the most popular attractions in Las Vegas, drawing some 240,000 visitors annually.

"We're not as big as the pyramid (Luxor) and Bellagio, but we still have our place," James said, referring to two of the Las Vegas Strip's major megaresorts.

The museum complex has tripled in size since the 1979 opening, when Liberace arrived in a flashy Rolls Royce convertible and cut a ribbon stretched between two of his trademark candelabras.

The museum chronicles the history of the famous pianist, from his debut with the Chicago symphony at age 14 to his emergence as Las Vegas' preeminent performer.

Liberace came to Las Vegas on a fluke, mailing out 1,000 penny postcards to entertainment directors across the country. The Last Frontier Hotel hired him and he became a Las Vegas icon, later gaining his own television show, appearing in movies, and performing at venues from Carnegie Hall to Radio City Music Hall.

The museum features more than 20 of his famous bejeweled costumes, 18 rare pianos, ornate cars and jewelry he used in his shows.

The museum memorabilia was valued at $15.5 million in 1993, the latest figure available, James said.

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