Where It All Began: Golden Gate Hotel & Casino Marks Status as First Las Vegas Hotel
Perched at 1 Fremont Street, on the corner of Fremont and Main Street, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas has seen it all.
As the first hotel structure in Las Vegas (originally Hotel Nevada), the building survived the prohibition of both gambling and alcohol; the Great Depression; and the construction of the Hoover Dam.
The Golden Gate stood witness when Fremont Street was first paved for vehicles in 1925, and again 70 years later when the infamous stretch of road was closed to vehicles to become the multi-sensory Fremont Street Experience. Its legacy spans the birth of Vegas, the Roaring 20s, the Rat Pack era, and today.
In January, the Golden Gate Hotel marked 117 years as a downtown mainstay, offering a free specialty drink from the property’s Bar Prohibition! to the first 117 guests to mention the birthday. The bar was renamed in 2012 though the original design from 1906 was mostly preserved.
“Whenever we’ve expanded or built a new project, we have always felt it was important to respect and revere Las Vegas history,” explains Golden Gate CEO Derek Stevens, who also owns Circa Resort & Casino and The D in downtown Las Vegas. “We’ve tried to take something iconic from the past, fix or clean it up, and celebrate the history.”
A Bridge Between Old and New
Stevens took over the Golden Gate with his brother in 2008. In 2020, he opened the adults-only Circa across the way (replacing the Las Vegas Club, Mermaids Casino, and Glitter Gulch strip club).
As the owner of both the vintage Golden Gate and the luxury Circa, the Michigan transplant is in the position of overseeing both the oldest and the newest hotels in downtown Las Vegas.
“It’s great to have the oldest and one of the newest properties only 80 feet away from each other,” he says. “You get to have a drink in vintage Vegas and a couple of minutes later … in the world’s largest sportsbook [at Circa].”
As for the pros and cons of owning both the oldest and newest hotels, Stevens says: “Things don’t break as quickly at Circa, but the things that do break cost a heck of a lot more to fix.”
While Golden Gate and Circa appear to be in sharp contrast, they “overlap in the Venn diagram of their experiences,” Scott Roeben, founder of Vital Vegas on Casino.org, tells LasVegasJaunt.com.
He goes on to explain that the Golden Gate was in rough shape when Stevens first hit the scene. “He used it as a testing ground, as he did with the D (formerly Fitzgerald’s), to test and play with the secret sauce, then used all the results to build his ideal casino [Circa].”
Roeben believes Golden Gate and Circa are “the bridge between what Vegas was and what it is, between the gritty Glitter Gulch and spectacle of the [Las Vegas] Strip.”
Staying at the Golden Gate
Recent online hotel reviews of the Golden Gate are varied, with some guests complaining about the size of the rooms, noise from Fremont Street, and the aging building. But most guests appreciate its nostalgic charm and helpful staff, as well as its convenient location close to the party on Fremont Street.
Along with being the oldest, Golden Gate is the smallest hotel in downtown Las Vegas with about 120 rooms and suites. The casino consists of a dozen table games like craps, blackjack, and poker, helmed by dancing dealers. There are also slot and video poker machines, a flapper-inspired high-limit lounge for big spenders, and a small sportsbook, operated by Circa Sports.
Amenities on the property are limited, and there’s no restaurant, but guests have access to some of the amenities at Circa, including the gym and the multi-level pool amphitheater Stadium Swim, and the pool at The D.
History buffs, meanwhile, may be interested in booking one of the “Original 10,” rooms from the 1906 opening.
You can also peruse artifacts and memorabilia—like prohibition-era whiskey bottles (found in the wall during a later renovation), a 1907 gaming ledger, and a vintage telephone (telephone number: 1)—on display in the lobby near check-in. The original two-way security mirrors of eras past can still be seen above the original gaming pit.
But don’t expect to find the Golden Gate’s famous 50-cent shrimp cocktail. While the property celebrated 25 million shrimp cocktail sales in 1991, the long tradition of selling them on-the-cheap, starting in 1959, ended at the Golden Gate in 2017.
You can now buy the seafood treat across the way at Saginaw’s Delicatessen in Circa, but it’ll cost you $11.
Ah, the good old days.
An Abridged Timeline of the Golden Gate:
- 1905: The land for the Golden Gate (formerly Hotel Nevada) is purchased at auction for $1,750
- 1906: The hotel opens with $1 a day room and board, and a small casino with blackjack and poker tables
- 1907: The hotel gets the city’s first telephone. Telephone number? 1!
- 1910: Nevada gambling ban forces temporary closure of the casino
- 1931: Gambling is legalized (again) in Nevada and Hotel Nevada becomes Sal Sagev (Las Vegas spelled backward)
- 1933: Prohibition ends
- 1955: Sal Sagev is renamed the Golden Gate
- 1959: Golden Gate founding partner Italo Ghelfi kicks off a tradition of cheap shrimp cocktails, selling them for just 50 cents
- 1964: The property is renovated to look more modern
- 1990: The property reverts to its historical look
- 1991: Four Las Vegas mayors mark the sale of the Golden Gate’s 25 millionth shrimp cocktail (99 cents, at this point)
- 2012: The Golden Gate adds a 35,000 square foot tower, port cochere, valet, and extended gaming floor with high-limit pit and dancing dealers
- 2017: The casino is expanded, and outdoor bar OneBar opens with dancing/flair bartenders—the first major expansion for the hotel in 50 years
- 2019: Small sportsbook opens at Golden Gate under the Circa Sports umbrella
- 2020: Adults-only, luxury Circa Resort & Casino opens across the street, and shares some amenities with Golden Gate