Observers hopeful about new downtown attraction

Erica D. Johnson

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2002 | 10:58 a.m.

Francine Shaw, a Las Vegas resident for 45 years, spent her day off Monday playing video games and Skee-Ball with her family at Jillian's, downtown Las Vegas' newest entertainment complex.

Shaw and her family showed that the center's arcade -- which features more than 100 electronic video games -- isn't just for tourists.

"As a local, I think this is long overdue," Shaw said. "We wanted to hang out here for the afternoon. This place has got a little bit of everything."

Shaw said she plans to bring her 13-year-old son and his cousins to the arcade after school.

"We need a lot more stuff like this for kids, like arcades, movie theaters and games," she said.

The two-story, 4,200-square-foot complex near the intersection of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard celebrated its grand opening Monday, joining the 14-screen Crown Theaters as the second anchor of downtown's $99 million Neonopolis, which opened in May.

Though Jillian's was expected to open at the same time as the theater, construction was delayed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when the center's main tenant, Mann Theaters, pulled out of the project after its parent company filed for bankruptcy.

City council members recently approved a downtown entertainment district overlay, allowing city officials to move forward with plans to continue building entertainment venues from the Fremont Street Experience canopy east of Las Vegas Boulevard.

The entertainment district could include retail shops, nightclubs and cafes.

Despite the earlier setbacks, city officials Monday said Jillian's grand opening marked a major step in the revitalization of downtown.

"Jillian's is the component that makes the whole downtown entertainment area click," Mayor Oscar Goodman said. "There's something for everyone. There's a great ambiance and an electricity down there. For locals, this is going to be the place to be."

In addition to the arcade, Jillian's, a Louisville, Ky.-based company, offers a restaurant, nightclub, bar, 12 bowling lanes and seven pool tables. The center stays open until 4 a.m.

Critics initially called the 240,000-square-foot Neonopolis project a gamble. City officials don't expect to recoup the city's $40 million investment for 20 years.

Ted Jelen, chairman of UNLV's political science department, said the project was a gamble worth taking.

"In this town, it's important for people to take risks," he said. "The fact that the city picked up some of the tab distributes some of the risk, which is important. People don't understand that economic prosperity often requires the involvement of the public sector."

The city's goal is for tourists to not only visit downtown Las Vegas, but to stay in downtown hotels as well, Lesa Coder, the city's business development director said.

Concerns regarding the project included safety and police protection.

"The area needs to have the same level of police protection that you get on the Strip," Jelen said. "The Strip is one of the safest places I've ever been. The same commitment needs to carry over."

Goodman said the area surrounding the Neonopolis is safe and there will be a police presence.

He said homeless people are not prevalent in downtown Las Vegas and called concerns about the homeless a "non-issue."

Tourists and locals who visited Jillian's Monday afternoon said the entertainment venue should have opened years ago.

"Whenever we come to Las Vegas we go to the Strip and downtown," said Jim Schwartz, who was visiting with his wife from New Jersey. "The Strip is more glitzy and glamorous. So it's nice to see they are building up downtown. We're all for it."

Fred Cohen, a local resident, said he prefers downtown to the commotion of the Strip. He said he only goes to the Strip when he has family visit from out of town.

"This is a fun place," he said. "I hope it takes off. It's a great rejuvenation. The mayor is doing a great job."

Several other retailers have signed leases with Neonopolis and will be opening within the next few months, Frank Wheat, Neonopolis' general manager, said.

Z&Z apparel, a men's and women's specialty apparel store, is expected to open in December. La Reliquia, a collectible store that sells artifacts from Mexico and South America, is expected to open by the middle of November.