Fremont Hotel and Casino

***"The Heartbeat of Fremont Street"***

The Fremont is a hotel and casino located on 200 Fremont St, Las Vegas in the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel is currently owned and operated by Boyd Gaming and opened in May 18, 1956.

## History

### **Construction**

Construction of the Fremont Hotel began in 1955, with Ed Levinson being the building designer. The construction of the hotel was financed by San Francisco financier Louis Lurie.

### **Grand Opening**

The Fremont, which was known as "Hotel Fremont" at the time, opened at 12:00 A.M. on May 18, 1956, with A.H. Kenned, City Manager during the 1950s, cutting the ribbon at the welcoming festivities. The original appointments and decor were designed by J, Mahler Weller, who was a local architect. The hotel included fourteen telephone booths, one including special equipment for the deaf. Morrie Glass was the manager of Fremont's guest relations and services. The hotel's showroom, named the "Carnivale Lounge" was the first in Downtown Las Vegas and were the home of many big-name entertainers, including Wayne Newton and Kay Starr.

At the time, Hotel Fremont was the largest building in Nevada, containing fifteen floors and 155 hotel rooms. This lasted until 1965, when the Mint built its 26-story tower. It was also the first high-rise to be built in Downtown Las Vegas.

### Expansions, Redesigns, and Remodels

The property began its first expansion in 1959, buying out Melodie Lane and the Red Garter (Not to be confused with the 1972 casino) that had opened next door, and replacing it with added casino space, and an additional 60 rooms to the hotel tower.

The Fremont expanded again in 1963, adding the 14-story Ogden Tower. This new addition came with the Sky Room, fully opening on July 17. The room was located at the very top of the tower and gave guests a welcoming view of the Las Vegas Valley. This didn't last long however, as only a few years later in 1969, the attraction would close. A parking structure was also added, along with a roof-top pool, which was the first in Las Vegas.

In 1974, Allen R. Glick, an Californian entrepreneur, developer, and member of the mob bought the Fremont and had made it a part of the Argent Corporation. The company renovated the hotel and casino at a cost of $3 million a few years later starting in 1977. A new neon facade had replaced the original design of the property, along with the opening of a card room entirely ran by women.

Sam Boyd would eventually buy the Fremont Hotel and Casino in 1983 and become a part of the Boyd Gaming company after an infamous scandal involving Allen Glick and the Stardust on the Las Vegas Strip that included skimming millions of dollars from his casinos. His gaming license being removed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Glick was forced to sell the property. Sam Boyd had a history of owning a few other Downtown Las Vegas casinos throughout his history, including the California Club and Union Plaza. Today, Boyd Gaming still owns the property and is one of the three Downtown Las Vegas casinos to be currently owned by them, the other two being Main Street Station and the California.

Fremont temporarily closed it's doors on March 17, 2020 following a statewide shutdown of all non-essential businesses, including all hotels and casinos, as ordered by Nevada governor Steve Sisolak due to major concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel and casino would be one of the many casinos in Las Vegas to re-open it's doors on June 4 of the same year, with various new rules in place, including social distancing, plexiglass on table games. The Paradise Buffet would permanently close following the re-opening. A new expansion was planned for Fremont that included a food hall and the revival of the property's original design.

#### Signage History

The neon facades and overall look of the hotel and casino had changed multiple times throughout it's life. The signage that opened with the casino had a red, yellow, and blue color scheme. Not as large as today's facades by no means. It's largest sign, however, stretched from the base of the hotel tower all the way up to multiple feet high above the top. The "Hotel Fremont" logo that had existed from the building's opening up to the late 80s flashed on the top, as well as being shown throughout the facade on the casino building. Block letters that spelt "FREMONT" vertically could also be seen from above the neon facade. A similar, yet smaller version of the sign was on the backside of the hotel tower as well. The corner entrance to the casino on Fremont Street included a white "CASINO" that had a unique corner-wipe animation in front a blue and red neon background. The original sign-work for Fremont was designed by Wayne McCallister of YESCO, who also did signage for the El Rancho Vegas, Desert Inn, Sands, and the Flamingo.

## Reference

1. ↑ (n.d.). *Classic Las Vegas: The Fremont Hotel & Casino*. Classic Las Vegas. http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/historic-site-of-the-week/2008/3/16/the-fremont-hotel.html
2. ↑ (n.d.). *Classic Las Vegas: Fremont Hotel & Casino*. Classic Las Vegas. http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/historic-site-of-the-week/2008/3/16/the-fremont-hotel.html
3. ↑ (n.d.). *The Mob Museum: Allen Glick's Death*. The Mob Museum. https://themobmuseum.org/blog/allen-glick-1970s-owner-of-las-vegas-casinos-skimmed-by-mob-has-died/
4. ↑ (n.d.). *Casinos, Contracts, and Force Majeure Clauses in Light of COVID-19*. Bar Nevada. https://nvbar.org/wp-content/uploads/9-Casinos-Contracts-and-Force-Majeure.pdf