Construction set for October to rebuild Gold Strike casino

07.09.1998, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Construction set for October to rebuild Gold Strike casino».

Owners of the Gold Strike near Boulder City, which was closed by fire in June, aim to reopen for business in mid-May, an owner of the property said last week.

"That is a pretty ambitious construction schedule," admitted co-owner David Belding, who also is an executive with Circus Circus Enterprises Inc.



Construction on the Gold Strike is scheduled to begin in October. Fire destroyed the casino on U.S. Highway 93 early on June 16. (Photo by Clint Karlsen)


With full-scale construction set to begin in mid-October, Belding said the owners believe the goal can be met. He said the new facility will vary significantly from its predecessor, which first opened in the mid-1950s.

"It will be completely different," said Belding, who declined to reveal the planned changes. The Gold Strike had featured an Old West theme for three decades.

Fire destroyed the casino on U.S. Highway 93 early on June 16. The 17-story hotel was relatively undamaged in the blaze, but it is closed while the casino is being rebuilt. The casino and hotel will reopen at the same time, Belding said.

A job fair three days after the fire provided relief for the hundreds of employees put out of work. "It was a total success. Everybody who had an interest in working was offered a job," he said.

Gold Strike is just outside Boulder City on the way to Hoover Dam. Its roots can be traced to the 1950s, when a trio of owners operated a small snack bar, a gift shop, a bar and six slot machines. A series of expansions followed.

Bill Porter, a fire investigator with the Clark County Fire Department, said the June blaze has been ruled accidental. Porter,the lead investigator on the case, said the fire originated on the roof in the northeast corner of the casino area.

Employees of a roofing company who had been working at the site told Porter there were no roofing materials on the area of the roof where the fire began. "I have information from hotel employees that says otherwise," Porter said.

He said he did not have the name of the roofing company with him Friday afternoon.

The roof was consumed in the blaze, leaving investigators with the witness accounts and private videotape shot by a hotel guest.

Porter said it is possible computer modeling and other techniques could resolve differences between the accounts offered by hotel employees and those working for the roofing company. He said such techniques are too expensive for the county Fire Department.

Belding's father was among the three investors who started the operation that would become the Gold Strike. Belding and the son of another founder purchased their fathers' interests in 1977. A Circus Circus executive purchased the remaining share.

Belding said in June that he and his partners exempted the Gold Strike operation near Boulder City when they sold other properties in 1995.

"My partners and I didn't want that to be included," he said. "We wanted to keep it private, so we could keep (it for) our children, or at least those who wanted to be involved could be involved in the business."

He said last week the owners are determined to rebuild, saying they are "absolutely committed to seeing it through."

The owners already are moving toward that goal, commencing the design review process and placing orders for long-lead items, such as steel.

Peter O'Connell

Über Gold Strike Hotel and Gambling Hall:

Gold Strike Jean is an 'Old West' themed hotel-casino located on the east side of Interstate-15 on the highway from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.


The property has a 37,000-square-foot casino and 800 rooms. The property also has, among other amenities, a swimming pool and spa, several restaurants, a banquet center, a gift shop and an arcade. The casino has a stage bar with regularly scheduled live entertainment and a casino bar.

--- Ende Artikel / Pressemitteilung Construction set for October to rebuild Gold Strike casino ---


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