Fitzgeralds removing downtown LV landmark

Chris Jones

Tuesday, May 21, 2002 | 11:13 a.m.

A renovation project at Fitzgeralds hotel-casino will result in the removal of a landmark icon in downtown Las Vegas.

In an effort to improve its exterior appearance, Fitzgeralds said Monday it plans to take down "Mr. O'Lucky," a 34-foot leprechaun statue that now adorns the property's main entrance.

"We looked at the potential for the exterior of this building and realized we've got a beautiful rainbow facade that (the statue) covered a lot of," Catherine Blieka, marketing director for Fitzgeralds, said. "We really want to focus more on the rainbow to brighten up our facade, and taking down the statue will allow us to do that."

Blieka said the statue will be removed in pieces sometime before the end of this month. Plans call for it to be reassembled and placed on display at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, she said.

The statue's removal coincides with other improvements at Fitzgeralds, which was sold to a company controlled by Detroit investor Don Barden late last year.

Blieka said a 32-seat outdoor dining area situated under the Fremont Street Experience canopy is currently under construction. In addition, carpeting and wallpaper are being replaced throughout the hotel-casino.

Barden's company, Majestic Investor Holdings, acquired Fitzgeralds casinos in Las Vegas, Tunica, Miss., and Black Hawk, Colo., on Dec. 6 for $149 million. It also owns the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Ind.