Last week, the ongoing revitalization of Downtown Las Vegas saw a landmark property double the size of its casino in under five days. [toc]
The latest Downtown Las Vegas property owned by Derek and Greg Stevens to undergo a significant renovation was the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino on Fremont Street. Remarkably, this renovation was completed in just 106 hours.
Construction started Monday morning after months of planning, and a soft re-opening proceeded at noon on Friday.
Golden Gate casino size doubled
The casino floor of The Golden Gate nearly doubled in size when it expanded to take over the neighboring Le Bayou Casino and the alley that previously divided the two properties.
The updated casino space in Nevada features 100 new slot machines and a centerpiece of a 24-foot TV tower.
One Bar at One Fremont Street, part of Golden Gate, has expanded by twenty feet. The bar is situated along the Fremont Street Experience side of the property. Furthermore, the property’s Fremont Street frontage underwent a renovation, which included a new casino entrance draped in velvet.
The entire property underwent a renovation with new fixtures and carpeting, including an overhaul of the restrooms. Additionally, the casino’s Club 1906 loyalty card membership desk was relocated.
Months of planning goes in to 106-hour job
Derek Stevens informed the Las Vegas Review-Journal that coordinating the 106-hour renovation required eight months of planning. The property shut down at 2 a.m. local time on Monday. Roughly 140 shift workers were continuously working until Friday at 12 p.m., when the property reopened.
Stevens stated that the potential rainfall on Thursday nearly resulted in delays. However, the weather remained dry, enabling construction crews to finish the job.
The oldest hotel on the Fremont Street Experience
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, originally known as the Hotel Nevada, is the most historic hotel on Fremont Street Experience, having first opened its doors on January 13, 1906. Although it featured a casino, gambling was banned in the state in 1909. However, with a change in Nevada law in 1931, gambling was permitted once again. In the same year, the property underwent a name change to Sal Sagev and its casino resumed operations.
In 1955, the name of the property was changed to Golden Gate and later to Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in 1974. In 2006, the Stevens brothers acquired half of the property and later bought the remaining portion. They constructed a five-story luxury hotel tower, a new lobby, and an exterior in 2012.
Transforming the way visitors experience Downtown Las Vegas
The Stevens brothers are dedicated to revolutionizing the visitor experience in Downtown Las Vegas. They acquired Fitzgeralds Las Vegas, located near the Golden Gate, in 2011. A year later, they finished a $22 million renovation and rebranding project, resulting in the creation of the D Las Vegas. The William Hill Sports Book also established its presence at the D.
The Stevens brothers also invested $10 million in 2014 to demolish the old courthouse at Carson and 3rd, and build the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center in its place.
They also bought several properties on Fremont Street Experience, including the Las Vegas Club, and started demolition earlier this year to pave way for a new resort project. The hotel-casino project, tentatively named 18th Fremont Street, is reportedly progressing as planned.
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