To mark the reemergence of downtown Las Vegas, developers Derek Stevens and Greg Stevens have remodeled not a single but two Fremont Street icons. The Golden Gate, Las Vegas’ initially hotel & casino, reopened towards the public late final month after months-long renovation, and the renamed D Las Vegas opened towards the public Thursday.
The Golden Gate, which sits on land that was purchased for $1,750 at auction in 1905, has a new lobby and exterior, as well as a five-story luxury tower and extended casino floor. Though, The Golden Gate’s real estate isn’t the only reason it’s steeped in history. After opening in 1906, the hotel became home to Vegas’ very first telephone in 1907 and the first neon signs in 1927, and was also one of the original hangouts of the Rat Pack. The casino got off the ground in 1955 thanks to a group of investors from San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Thursday marked the reopening of the D Las Vegas (formerly the Fitzgeralds hotel,) which sits beneath the world’s largest video screen on Fremont Street. Much like the Golden Gate, the D has a new lobby, a two-level casino, 624 remodeled rooms and the initial American Coney Island outside of Detroit.