The Cal Neva is set to reopen on Sinatra’s 100th birthday

Frank Sinatra owned Crystal Bay’s Cal Neva from 1960 to 1963. That time, while brief, has defined more than any other the image and the lore of the border-straddling hotel-casino towering over the waters of North Lake Tahoe’s dramatic granite shelf. As new ownership claims they’ll bring back the Sinatra “glory days,” starting on the night of the crooners 100th birthday (Dec. 12, 2015) DPB takes a look at what Sinatra’s legacy and the Cal Neva property really means to Tahoe.

ByAndrew Pridgen

Evoking the Sinatra days at the Cal Neva as a sepia Rat Pack romp in the forest may sound good in the boardroom and look good on the brochure, but it’s an off-key attempt to frost over the uncooked parts of a rehab plan for the property and the region.

Not to mention, Frank Sinatra’s time in Tahoe was controversial, bloody and in all ways, costly.