Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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REAL ESTATE NEWS golden tickets DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS'S REVITALIZATION TAKES TWO GIANT LEAPS FORWARD AS A LITTLE BIT OF EUROPE GOES UP FOR SALE RIGHT HERE IN HENDERSON. BY TONY ILLIA A n aging downtown mainstay is having elective surgery to maintain its sexy appearance as a designer lists a Euro-style Lake Las Vegas Villa, and Fitzgeralds updates into the D. The 106-year-old Golden Gate Hotel & Casino was once accustomed to change: It shed its original name, the Hotel Nevada, for Sal Sagev ("Las" and " Vegas" spelled backward) in the 1930s, before becom- ing the Golden Gate (goldengatecasino. com) in the mid '50s. Now the four-story, 106-room property at 1 Fremont St., a Rat Pack hangout whose shrimp cocktail was touted as "the best tail in town," is undergoing its first major expansion in 50 years. "When it opened back in 1906, Golden Gate signaled the birth of downtown Las Vegas," says co-owner and CEO Derek Stevens. "More than a century later, we're proud to be a part of Gensler—the its dramatic renaissance." architectural team behind CityCenter—is crafting the property's $12 million makeover. Plans call for a new 35,000-square-foot, five-story hotel tower, with 16 suites, two top-floor pent- houses, and a porte cochère valet entrance. The expanded casino floor, meanwhile, will feature a high-limit area and Roaring '20s-style artifacts hotel's past, dancing dealers. A revamped lobby will highlight from the including turn-of- the-century gaming ledgers. The historic exterior will be preserved, including its famous articulating neon sign, with added pinstripe accent lighting. Why jet off to Europe when a lakeside villa can be created right here in Vegas? LVI Design's Lori Venners did just teamed up with Texas 138 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM owner Mark Brandenburg Golden Gate Hotel co- added, and one of the two new bars will be the longest in Nevada. "The D will elevate the energy of Fremont Street," Stevens says. Dancing dealers will dominate the first-floor casino, and classic coin-operated slots on the second floor will be accessible by a new outdoor escalator along Fremont Street. Upgrades will finish in that when she architect Old-world-style serenity for sale at 12 Via Verona Court phases through this fall; the prop- erty will construction. V remain open during The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, part of the Thomas Oppelt of Paddle Creek Design to create 12 Via Verona Court, for sale a 6,524-square-foot old-world residence at Lake Las Vegas offered Synergy Fremont Street experience in Henderson, now through Sotheby's International Realty's Gene Northup (702-497-0300; gene@callgene. com). "I wanted it to be a little European village," says Venners of the four-year- old compound. The two-story main home boasts an authentic cobblestone driveway and bell tower, plus four pri- vate guest casitas, saltwater pool with waterfall spa, and too many impressive imported details (Cantera stone walls; iron railings custom made Tlaquepaque, Mexico; stove) to list. room at 12 Via Verona Court Gathering in French Downtown staple Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel is transforming into the D Las Vegas Casino Hotel (thed.com). The new name is partly a reference to CEO and majority owner Derek Stevens (also of Las Vegas dances to life. The D Golden Gate) and partly a nod to the redevelopment of downtown. The $15 million makeover marks the first major renovation for the 34-story hotel since it opened in 1980. The hotel's 638 guest rooms are being redesigned to create a hipper, more modern look. Live entertainment acts are being PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF GOLDEN GATE HOTEL & CASINO (BRANDENBURG); GEORGE ROSE/GETTY IMAGES (GOLDEN GATE ENTRANCE); COURTESY OF KIRVIN DOAK COMMUNICATIONS (D LAS VEGAS); JOHN MARTORANO (12 VIA VERONA COURT)