Editing Howard Hughes (section)

===Real estate===
{{main|Howard Hughes Corporation}}

According to [[Noah Dietrich]], "Land became a principal asset for the Hughes empire". Hughes acquired 1200 acres in Culver City for Hughes Aircraft, bought 7 sections [4,480 acres] in Tucson for his Falcon missile-plant, and purchased 25,000 acres near Las Vegas.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|103, 254}} In 1968, the [[Hughes Tool Company]] purchased the North Las Vegas Air Terminal.

Originally known as [[Summa Corporation]], the Howard Hughes Corporation formed in 1972 when the oil-tools business of Hughes Tool Company, then owned by Howard Hughes Jr., floated on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] under the "Hughes Tool" name. This forced the remaining businesses of the "original" Hughes Tool to adopt a new corporate name: "Summa". The name "Summa"{{emdash}}Latin for "highest"{{emdash}}was adopted without the approval of Hughes himself, who preferred to keep his own name on the business, and suggested "HRH Properties" (for Hughes Resorts and Hotels, and also his own initials). In 1988 Summa announced plans for [[Summerlin, Nevada|Summerlin]], a master-planned community named for the paternal grandmother of Howard Hughes, Jean Amelia Summerlin.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/summerlin/what-is-the-real-history-of-summerlin-developer-unveils-archives-2910371/ | title=What is the real history of Summerlin? Developer unveils archives | first1=Patrick | last1=Blennerhassett |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal | date=September 25, 2023 | accessdate=7 February 2024}}</ref>

Initially staying in the [[Desert Inn]], Hughes refused to vacate his room, and instead decided to purchase the entire hotel. Hughes extended his financial empire to include Las Vegas real estate, hotels, and media outlets, spending an estimated $300 million, and using his considerable powers to acquire many of the well-known hotels, especially the venues connected with [[organized crime]]. He quickly became one of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. He was instrumental in changing the image of Las Vegas from its [[Wild West]] and, later, [[American Mafia|Mafia]] / organized crime roots into a more refined cosmopolitan city.<ref name=PBS>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lasvegas-hughes/|title=Howard Hughes (1905-1976)|publisher=[[American Experience]]|accessdate=7 February 2024}}</ref> In addition to the Desert Inn, Hughes would eventually own the [[Las Vegas Sands|Sands]], [[New Frontier Hotel and Casino|Frontier]], [[Silver Slipper (Las Vegas)|Silver Slipper]], [[Castaways (casino)|Castaways]], and [[Landmark (hotel and casino)|Landmark]] and [[Harold's Club]] in Reno. During his four years in Las Vegas, Hughes became the largest employer in Nevada.<ref name=PBS/>