The Las Vegas Club in Downtown Las Vegas will close up shop before midnight Wednesday and likely be reopened under a new name now that the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate Casino owners, Derek and Greg Stevens have agreed to purchase the aging casino building and land.
Derek Stevens told local media that he will spend “a good few months” evaluating the property before deciding what to do with it. It was also reported that the brothers would likely keep the property closed while any remodeling or demolition work went on – unlike their conversion of the former Fitzgerald’s into the D Las Vegas which took three years to complete.
The casino and already-closed hotel are across the street from Golden Gate and a brief stroll from the D.
The Las Vegas Club originally opened on the south side of Freemont Street between Main and 1st in 1930 and was the second casino in the city to have a neon sign. In 1949 it moved across the street and eventually expanded to its current location on the corner of Main and Freemont. Las Vegas legend Jackie Gaughan sold the property along with three other casinos including The Plaza to Barrick Gaming who was in partnership with current owner, the Tamares Group, in 2004. Barrick reportedly defaulted and Tamares gained control the next year.
The 401 room hotel tower, included in the current purchase, was closed in April of 2013.
The Stevens’ did not purchase the property’s name, gambling license, equipment, or customer database and will dub any casino that replaces Las Vegas Club with a new name. Any games currently being run at Las Vegas Club will move across Main Street to The Plaza. With the sale of the Las Vegas Club, and earlier sales of the Western and Gold Spike, the investment group can focus all of their gaming energies on The Plaza which opened in 1971 and underwent renovations in 2004 and 2011.
If the success of their other two properties is any indication, whatever they open at 18 East Fremont Street will be a vibrant and viable new alternative for Downtown visitors seeking the Freemont Experience.