Circa Resort & Casino

Circa Resort & Casino is a hotel and casino currently under construction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, on the Fremont Street Experience. Circa will have 777 guest rooms, five restaurants, a two-level casino, "the largest sports book in Las Vegas" according to owners Derek and Greg Stevens, and a nine-story parking garage dubbed "Garage Mahal."[1] Above the casino will be "a rooftop deck and amphitheater with six swimming pools and a 125-foot screen."[2] The casino is scheduled to open in October 2020, followed two months later by the hotel. Circa is being constructed on the site of the former Las Vegas Club and Mermaids Casino, which were demolished in 2017.

Circa Resort & Casino
Circa during construction, April 2020
Location Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Address 8 Fremont Street
Opening dateOctober 28, 2020 (2020-10-28) (casino)
December 28, 2020 (2020-12-28) (hotel)
No. of rooms777
Casino typeLand-based
OwnerDerek Stevens
Greg Stevens
Coordinates36°10′18″N 115°8′44″W
Websitewww.circalasvegas.com

History

In August 2015, brothers Derek and Greg Stevens purchased the Las Vegas Club, located at 18 Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The Stevens also owned the nearby Golden Gate Hotel and Casino and The D Las Vegas.[3] Derek Stevens initially considered renovating the Las Vegas Club, but he disliked its design and decided to demolish it entirely.[4] The Stevens closed the Las Vegas Club in August 2015, with plans to build a new resort in its place.[3]

In 2016, the Stevens purchased the nearby Mermaids Casino and the Glitter Gulch strip club, both of which closed later that year, with plans to demolish them to make more room for the new resort.[5][6] That year, Derek Stevens also purchased a 2-acre site between the Plaza Hotel & Casino and the Main Street Station. The property would become the site of the new resort's eventual parking garage.[4][7] The Las Vegas Club, Mermaids, and Glitter Gulch were demolished in 2017.[3][8]

The new resort project was once referred to as "18 Fremont" because of its address,[9] although the final street address of the resort will be 8 Fremont Street.[10] By May 2018, the project was planned to include a 459-foot-tall hotel, the tallest building in downtown Las Vegas, which raised FAA concerns about height and airspace due to the project's proximity with the North Las Vegas Airport.[8] The new resort, with a height of 459 feet, was approved by the Las Vegas City Council in July 2018.[11]

Circa announcement

On January 10, 2019, the resort's name was unveiled as Circa Resort & Casino,[12] during a party at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.[4] The name is a homage to the history of Las Vegas, including past casino builders such as Benny Binion, Jackie Gaughan, Jay Sarno, and Sam Boyd.[2] A video montage also explained the resort's name, listing examples of earlier well known Las Vegas properties and their establishment dates such as, "Circa 1941, Jackie Gaughan, El Cortez. Circa 1951, Benny Binion, Binion's Horseshoe. Circa 1966, Jay Sarno, Caesars Palace. Circa 1969, Kirk Kerkorian, International." The video further stated that the announcement of Circa's name would one day be referred to as, "Circa January 2019." Other names were considered, including Overland, which was the original name of the Las Vegas Club; and The Mint, which was the name of a former property adjacent to the Las Vegas Club. Circa would be the first new resort to be constructed on Fremont Street since 1980, and was scheduled to open in December 2020.[12][4] Derek Stevens intended for the resort to be opened prior to 2021 for tax advantages.[13][14]

The Vegas Vickie sign, seen in 2010, will be incorporated into Circa's lobby.[2]

Construction began in February 2019. The Circa resort's nine-story parking garage, known as Garage Mahal, is located across the street from the resort. It will contain 1,209 parking spaces and an air-conditioned umbilical skybridge connecting it to the Circa resort.[4][15] The resort's lobby will incorporate the former Vegas Vickie cowgirl sign that once advertised Glitter Gulch.[16][15][2] The 777-room hotel will have 44 floors, although the top floor will be labeled as "60," with some floor numbers being skipped. Circa will also include a two-story casino and five restaurants.[15] The property will also include the longest outdoor bar on Fremont Street. A six-tiered pool area will include a 125-foot screen.[15][17] The pool will be temperature-controlled, allowing it to remain open year-round. Derek Stevens expects the pool to become a top tourist destination, and he envisions the pool as becoming the greatest in the history of the world.[18]

Circa's three-story, stadium-style sports book is planned as the biggest in Las Vegas and will be a prime aspect of the new resort.[15][17][19] Derek Stevens' vision for the sports book was inspired by his initial visits to the books at Caesars Palace and the Hilton, both of which he considered impressive.[15][2] The sports book will include the Vegas Stats & Information Network,[19] and Circa is expected to become the center of sports wagering in downtown Las Vegas.[20] In June 2019, Derek Stevens opened sports books at his Golden Gate and D casinos under the name Circa Sports. The Circa resort would house the primary Circa Sports location of the three.[21][22]

Construction

Circa was designed by Steelman Partners. The construction manager was Tré Builders, while McCarthy Building Companies Inc. was the general contractor. [15] A concrete pour took place in April 2019, with an estimated 2,100 cubic yards (1,600 m3) of concrete.[13]

As of June 2019, there were nearly 600 construction workers on the project, including approximately 200 workers on the main property and approximately 40 workers on Garage Mahal. Construction progressed with a continuous schedule. The 1.25-million sq ft (116,000 m2) project began vertical construction that month.[14]

Beginning in October 2019, the project had approximately 1,000 construction workers. In January 2020, construction reached the 23rd floor.[23] In April 2020, a construction worker at the Circa site tested positive for COVID-19.[24] Social distancing had been implemented as a safety precaution for COVID-19, and this meant that few workers were allowed to work on the upper floors. Instead, the Stevens had work expedited on the first five floors, including the casino and pool. In June 2020, plans were announced to open the first five floors early, on October 28, while the hotel portion is to open December 28. The casino will include 1,350 slot machines and 49 table games.[25][26] The Circa hotel tower was topped out on June 19, 2020.[27] Derek Stevens subsequently announced that Circa will be an adult-only property, stating that Las Vegas once held "a certain mystique as this fabulous place where only grown-ups could play. Call us old-fashioned, but we think adults need some of that mystique back in their lives."[28]

Restaurants

Circa will offer several restaurants, including some operated by people from the Stevens' home state of Michigan.[29][30][31] Those restaurants include:

  • 8 East, an Asian restaurant serving Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese food.
  • Barry's Downtown Prime, a steakhouse and seafood restaurant by chef Barry Dakae, with an atmospheric setting of 1950s and 1960s Las Vegas.
  • Project BBQ, an outdoor barbeque restaurant that will feature a food truck façade.
  • Saginaw's Delicatessen, serving breakfast specialties and delicatessen options.
  • Victory, a burger and chicken wing restaurant overlooking the sportsbook.

References
  1. Jones, Jay (14 January 2019). "New Circa Resort & Casino to open in downtown Las Vegas in 2020". LA Times. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  2. Radke, Brock (17 January 2019). "Derek Stevens Hits All the Right Notes With His Vision of Circa". Las Vegas Weekly. Greenspun Media Group. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. "Owners turning Las Vegas Club into new project". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  4. Katsilometes, John (2019-01-10). "Circa is Las Vegas pioneer Derek Stevens' chosen title". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  5. J.D. Morris (2016-04-21). "Stevens brothers purchase more property on Fremont Street". VegasInc. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  6. Jones, Jay (2016-05-31). "Las Vegas: Say goodbye to mermaids, deep-fried Twinkies on Fremont Street". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  7. "Property record". Clark County Assessor's Office. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  8. Akers, Mick (2018-05-08). "Downtown casino project waiting on FAA approval". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  9. Akers, Mick (2 May 2018). "Documents reveal details for planned downtown Las Vegas casino". Greenspun Media Group. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  10. Roeben, Scott (2019-02-26). "Circa Las Vegas Resort Begins Construction". Vital Vegas. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  11. Munks, Jamie (2018-07-18). "Downtown casino plan gets quick OK from Las Vegas City Council". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  12. Radke, Brock (10 January 2019). "Derek Stevens unveils Circa Resort & Casino for downtown Las Vegas to debut in 2020". Greenspun Media Group. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  13. Velotta, Richard N. (2019-04-23). "Circa in downtown Las Vegas on pace for 2020 opening". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  14. Velotta, Richard N. (2019-06-18). "Circa project in downtown Las Vegas going vertical". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  15. Velotta, Richard N. (2019-01-10). "Derek Stevens reveals Circa hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  16. Curtis, Anthony (2018-08-05). "Sassy Sally returning to Las Vegas". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Archived from the original on 2018-08-05.
  17. Wargo, Buck (2019-01-19). "Gaming experts calls 2019 'bridge year'". Las Vegas Business Press. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  18. Komenda, Ed (2019-12-13). "Year-round Las Vegas resort pool aims to be 'the greatest pool in the history of the world'". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  19. Radke, Brock (2019-01-17). "Accelerating the evolution of the Las Vegas sports book". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  20. Velotta, Richard N. (2019-01-12). "Circa to be downtown Las Vegas' newest sports hub". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  21. Horwath, Brian (2019-04-25). "First Circa sportsbook to open at Golden Gate in June". VegasInc. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  22. Schulz, Bailey (2019-06-19). "Circa Sports launches at the D Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  23. Velotta, Richard N. (2020-01-31). "Workers on downtown's Circa resort reach 23rd of 35 floors". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  24. Newberg, Katelyn (2020-04-18). "Worker at Circa site tests positive for coronavirus". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  25. Komenda, Ed (2020-06-17). "Las Vegas' new Circa Resort and Casino will open pool, casino in October". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  26. Katsilometes, John (2020-06-17). "Circa opening to highlight Garage Mahal, World Largest Sportsbook". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  27. Velotta, Richard N. (2020-06-19). "Final beam of Circa resort tower moved into place in topping out". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  28. Velotta, Richard N. (2020-06-22). "Circa to begin taking reservations Wednesday; no children allowed". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  29. Komenda, Ed (2020-01-22). "A taste of Michigan – and an amazing pool – are coming to Vegas' Circa Resort and Casino". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  30. Knapp Rinella, Heidi (2020-01-22). "Circa resort to have a mix of local, transplanted restaurants". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  31. Paul, Tony (2020-01-22). "Zingerman's co-founder rolls dice on first deli outside Michigan, in downtown Las Vegas". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
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