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Justin M. Bowen / File photo
The Fremont Street Experience and Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas are shown.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 | 11:33 a.m.
The company that operates the Fremont Street Experience sued the owner of the Plaza hotel Monday for alleged nonpayment of a required monthly assessment to help manage the downtown attraction.
Fremont Street Experience LLC alleged that Tamares Real Estate Investments LLC of New York stopped making payments in June and owes $429,990. The assessment equates to $39,090 a month, according to the lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court.
A Plaza spokesman did not immediately return a call for comment.
The lawsuit stated that Tamares had been making the monthly payments from February 2006 through last May. As a member of the Fremont Street Experience, Tamares is included in the attraction's print advertising, website and overhead Viva Vision display, the lawsuit stated.
The Fremont Street Experience alleged that it has made repeated requests of Tamares to pay the assessments that are owed but that the Plaza owner "continues to refuse to pay all monies due." The assessments are used to help operate and maintain the Fremont Street Experience.
The battered economy reportedly forced the Plaza hotel late last year to lay off some employees and temporarily close some hotel rooms and restaurants.
The Plaza, renovated in 2011, has a lobby that features marble and inlaid mosaic tiles, chandeliers and a plush front desk that matches the classic Las Vegas feel with a contemporary look.
The hotel has 1,003 rooms and suites that showcase views of the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas. Amenities include world-class entertainment, a casino floor that offers an array of classic gaming choice, which include 600 slot machines, a 400-seat bingo room, 18 table games and 57,120 square feet of casino space.
Among the dining options is Oscar's Beef * Booze * Broads, a steakhouse opened by former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, which is located in the glittery dome enclosure above the hotel's main entrance.
The Plaza sits at the west end of the Fremont Street Experience on the site of the first train depot and auction site in Las Vegas, dating back to the San Pedro-Los Angeles-Salt Lake Railroad in 1905. The railroad was sold to Union Pacific in 1921 and the depot was demolished in 1970 to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel, built in 1971.
The hotel has been featured or is visible in several movies, including the 1971 James Bond film, "Diamonds are Forever;" the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part II;" the 1995 move "Casino," and the 2000 movie "Pay it Forward."
As far as I'm concerned, they could tear that whole piece of canopy junk down and return Fremont St. to it's deserved status as a "downtown" city street with two way traffic again and all. The Plaza was here way longer than ex-Mayor Jan Laverty Jone's multi million dollar gigi byte disaster which I have always believed destroyed the fabric of Fremont St. and Glitter Gulch neon signage displays.
environ - whether you like it or not, that piece of canopy brings 99% of the tourists downtown... without downtown is dead!
I agree with airics.
The Union Plaza probably has more duct tape on the carpeting than any other hotel/casino in town. Those guys are "broke as a joke" and good luck to 'em scaring up enough cash to pay their assessments.
Airics is right. The canopy is an eyesore to those of us who remember Fremont street before its construction, but, on balance, it's probably helped business down there over the years from being a lot worse.
As we've witnessed concessions of property owners during this depressed economy, why can't it be done in this case also? Only the Lawyers will benefit squeezing blood out of turnips.
I have to agree with Environment on this. The canopy is the worst idea the city of Las Vegas came up with in the redevelopment of Fremont Street. The money should have been spent on restoring the historical character, Charm and beauty of the early casinos, motels and buildings,INCLUDING east of Las Vegas Blvd on Fremont to Bruce, But instead someone came up with the bright idea of building the worlds ugliest video display, throwing in random hawker kiosks found anywhere USA, tearing down the Neon signs that could have continued in their intended glory, to grace and welcome visitors to Fremont, But now removed and placed in cheap display like a sad freak show at a circus.
People come from the strip to see the lite show.
Everyone makes money buses and casinos and more.
If you take out the lite show downtown it would
turn into the ghettos and more people loss there jobs.
Plaza pay your dues!
airics
noindex
The reason if true that the canopy brings 99.9% of the tourists downtown is because 1. Marketing 2. its the only damn thing worth checking out downtown as ugly as it is, It has NOTHING to do with the birth and growth of this city, nor does it have anything in common with Vegas other then playing a medley of Elvis or Sinatra songs.
It was turning into a ghetto Pre redevelopment. The money should have been spent more wisely. The Plaza hotel and casino was the founding location of the city of Las Vegas in 1905. The redevelopment should have started there.
Having been to a few concerts etc. on Fremont St that were loads of fun...
It seemed to me to be all about the beer, women, music and occasional casino game. I think, if the street was closed and the canopy removed, the crowd would have had just as much fun under the desert sky.
I think the light show, like all gimmicks, grows old. It is okay but I don't think it brings that much business to Fremont St. at least as compared to the street being closed and some kind of event "under the stars".
Actually, to me its like putting vinyl siding on a classic home. Its beauty and charm is about what it was and the glory is in the restoration.
The light show is just a false facade. Its plastic and the glitz is shallow. Completely the wrong approach IMHO.
It is the only outdoor place in LV you can walk around during the hot summer months without melting! I like it! Carl Ferris the Sax player rocks!
You guys can badmouth the experience all you want but without that, most of those old town casinos would have gone bankrupt by now. Some of us locals do not appreciate it but a lot of out of town visitors prefer that place over the strip. I bring my out of town visitors to the strip and to the Fremont Experience and 9 out of 10, they preferred and enjoyed the experience more. The Fremont Experience is what brings out of town customers to that part of town and I know they do more business with the old town casinos than most of us locals.
To Environprotector, You go spouting off at the mouth again. Without the canopy the plaza wouldnt be open.
Haven't seen economic "expert" stevem recently. Maybe he finally got a job or his internet got shut off.
vc :
I care not even 0% about what you think about my posts. At least they are ON subject and my right to state MY opinions. Web site manager please remove the above comment by username vc as being a personal attack, and off subject.
WTF!!! I will give up my Fremont Street Exprerience when they pry my cold, dead, fingers....oops wrong speech. I want to keep the Experience. It brings pride to my senses and sometimes a cramp in my neck but I would hate to see it go. It's Entertainment for heavens sake. Best of all it's FREE.
All of you guys talking about tearing the canopy down and returning Fremont to its original "glory" are being delusional and idealist. Yes, from a visual standpoint I prefer how downtown looked with neon blazing against the night sky and traffic going down the street, but people were afraid to go down there because it was so seedy. The canopy saved downtown because it actually made downtown an attraction. Without it what is there?
environprotector, I long for the "old days" of Vegas just like you do, but sometimes you seem to look at things without any objectivity or rational thought. Your answer to saving Las Vegas is always the same: Loosen the slots and suddenly we will have 100% occupancy and 0% unemployment. When it comes to revitalizing downtown you always say the same thing: Tear down the canopy and suddenly the masses will storm the place and Binions will once again become the same place it was back when it was the Horseshoe.
I understand your sentiments, but you have to realize that the solutions you offer for fixing this city stem from your nostalgia for how it used to be and really are in no way the magic bullet that will lead to the recovery of Las Vegas.
Better with than without.
Fremont St. could get along just fine without that monstrosity of a lite brite IF all of the casinos would agree to rebrand themselves and the whole area as classic las vegas with better odds and pay outs than the (seen one, seen them all) resorts of the McStrip. The Plaza was a great place at one time but unfortunately has been let go to the point of no return. Too bad since they are in the sweetest location of all the FS properties.
Las Vegas is an International Entertainment Mecca. I'm all for any marketing tool (even "that monstrosity") that will help enhance the local economy.
The technology is getting obsolete and they have no money to upgrade.
Sure glad you guys don't live around Disneyland (Friendly grin).
The Plaza is the least of downtown's problems. You have one Casino(Golden Nugget) that has adapted to the times. The rest can either be imploded or upgrade their properties. Main St used to have Pullmans Grille Steakhouse but they closed because of the economy.
it's not that bad downtown. it's kind of like a jersey shore boardwalk meets a vegas strip that reeks of urine.
Absolutely. R E T U R N the infamous F R E M O N T Street to its days of glory in the 1950s. AAAAHHHHHH those were the days when Las Vegas was the capital city of gambling. Those neon lights....Vegas Vic beckoning you to come and play forever and ever and ever inside the casinos. With two way traffic, it provides a 'come hither' to lure patrons inside casinos such as the Four Queens, Hotel Fremont, Las Vegas Club, etc...
RETURN FREMONT BACK TO ITS GOOD OLD DAYS!!
How's that Lady Luck deal going?
What goes on inside that place, do you suppose?
Fremont St. - experience = 0.
On a hot weekend night on Fremont Street, as some band plays hits and calls themselves "Original" because the bass player is related to a guy who used to be in the "original lineup", one can witness a mass of humanity that would seem to indicate the entirety of Appalachia has been bused into town to fill empty downtown rooms.
I find it all highly entertaining, once in a while.
You all are forgetting something.
Income is down for the casinos downtown. And yes their having to cut corners and lay off employees to stay open. But the owners of the canopy are like Shylock and the Unions. They will not flex with the times. They demand their pint of blood.
Seems like a strange article considering Plaza is not even listed on the Fremont Street Experience website as a member.
I happen to think hotels downtown would be better without the crowd FSE attracts provided they actually made their own properties nicer.
The trouble with the light show is, and nobody seems to mention it, THE SHOW WAS MUCH BETTER BEFORE IT WAS "IMPROVED," which was done to increase the fine detail.
At one point the light show stretched to the ends of the canopy, but after "improvement" one had to crane his neck upward to see the darn thing. They used much less space, and could not show the same material. But, the cartons and other simple stuff was ACTUALLY BETTER than the "improved stuff," which was then not run as frequently as the older material.
BY IMPROVING IT, THEY RUINED IT!
You'd bitch if you were hung with a new rope.
Fremont experience revitalized the area...like it or not.
It's not the end all, but bringing back the 1950's isn't going to happen.
It's nice during the summer. Party atmosphere on weekends. What's not to like?
Pay your dues. You have a contract.
I recall coming through Las Vegas one year on vacation as a child. We were coming back to LA from Kansas after making a detour to Yellowstone. This would have been about 1960 or so which would have made me about 7 at the time. I was absolutely amazed that they stopped traffic in ALL directions downtown and let people cross the street in ANY direction at the same time.
And the lights!!!! and Vegas Vic!!!! and the CowGirl!!!!!! And Dad putting in a nickel and letting me pull the handle!!!!!!!
Yeah, I miss that, and I miss the old strip, too. But even I will admit that the FSE has been a good thing overall. (I won't say that about City Center, what a disaster).
Whatever.. FSE puts me to sleep...
My favorite place.I'll take it over the strip every time.
Environ;
By the majority of your posts relating to returning to the 50's, I would surmise that most aspects of life put you to sleep...unless they agree to loosen the slots!
I like it, I love it, I want some more of it.
FSE will set you free!
When I go to the FSE I always put a dab of Vick's Vaporub under my nose. Its clear and people just think my nose is runnin'
I never smell my neighbors though, or your neighbors either.
newman2 :
As usual you are just spouting off, why wouldn't YOU want looser slots?
To Environ, its obvious you have no idea what they dynamics are downtown. Without that canopy, the entire fremont street would look just like the Lady Luck. CLOSED!!! That canopy is what draws tourists downtown. Not to mention the fact that all the casinos bought into it and agreed to the fee to maintain it.
The last time I drove down that street, traffic was a mess. No WOW factor when that happens. Closing it was the right thing to do. Even without the FSE playing overhead, people will still go.
We should close Las Vegas Blvd next and put a monorail up the middle of it.
a comment from a tourist...(6 day stay)this will be our 7th trip to vegas in 6 yrs...our first 3 trips were at the strip visiting fse, our last 3 trips were at fse visiting the strip, the canopy creates one of the largest casino in vegas, the canopy allows one to move around during the day without melting,
the canopy allows entertainment, without the canopy..there would be no reason for a downtown, without the tourists, they'd be no las vegas, cheap rooms are everywhere now, was it a gimmick, yes, does it work, yes, that's las vegas...
The FSE was the best thing to happen to downtown, like it or lump it. Plaza and its sister property Vegas Club has been losing money right and left during the downturn. Plaza has been closing down floors in their north tower (fremont view rooms) to gut them and use all the furniture and TV to fix up other parts of the hotel. The owner is a Billionaire from Finland that doesn't want to do anything for their properties other than wanting to sell it when the market gives them the right price. My advice is to sell it to Golden Nugget and make it a destination resort, like how GN placed themselves when Steve Wynn owned the place. Sadly years ago, the Plaza use to be the jewel of downtown and is a shadow of its former self. Come one Michael Gaughn by up your dad's (Jackie Gaughn) former downtown empire and make it look like the insides of the new El Cortez. If you want a classy place for a low price, try El Cortez, Michael made it look better than his South Point property.
Let Jan Jones and her cronies, the ones who got rich from this albatross pay the fee.
To vc , newman2 , and everyone else who thinks the canopy saved Downtown. Look at the current status of Downtown, doesn't look saved to me. What should have been done is what Myforte say's above to RE Brand the existing properties and make them classic places for tourists to visit, as well as getting the Monorail to go Downtown. THAT is the answer, not some now waaay outdated light show that features silly cartoons set to music.
As a great lover of Downtown Las Vegas, I believe that the Fremont Street Experience has been a great asset.
I blame Michael Gaughan for dealing the greatest blow to Downtown. He virtually abandoned Downtown when he sold off the Plaza and the Vegas Club (as well as Gold Spike) presumably because he wanted to become one of the big boys. The Plaza and Vegas Club have seriously deteriorated since then, partly because of the economy, but mainly because the new owners did not have deep pockets so borrowed too much.
To all of the negative Nancy's . . . I'm sure the 50's and 60's were glorious times on Fremont Street. Well, circa 1980 - 1995 you had to take a cab from the Plaza to the Horseshoe just to avoid a slew of drug dealers, pimps and hoes. Do we want to go back to that?
And it isn't just the canopy - what about the concerts nightly to support the casinos who don't have concert stages- WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK PLANS/PAYS FOR THOSE? The bands don't just show up. And imagine a party in August under "the desert sky". I think you'd all be running for the shade.
And if you were educated about downtown renovation you would know how difficult it is to get approvals. There is always more than one side to a story.
BOTTOM LINE - The Plaza signed an agreement to fund the Fremont Street Experience to provide security, maintenance,marketing, event planning, shows and maintenance on the canopy and more. For those of you attacking Fremont for trying to get money to run the company I scoff. Each and every one of you would "chase" money owed to you, especially if it were over $400,000. Obviously Fremont Street wasn't "bloodthirsty" if they have made continued requests. It sounds like they have tried to reconcile this and this was a last result.
Environ:
I know the stats quite well, and I believe you are misinterpreting them - in 2008 the Strip was down 10.5% while downtown was down 8%, 2009 Strip down 9.4% and downtown 10.1%. Yes, in Feb 2010 the strip had 32% increase in gaming revenue year over year after a Jan decrease of 3% (downtown was down 2% in Jan). Until then the Strip and downtown were tracking at about the same loss percentage for the last 3 years. As is all of Nevada. 32% isn't the trend - the trend is reduced gaming revenues everywhere - and downtown isn't blowing everyone out of the water - they have the same trend as everyone else.
Our first and only stay at the Plaza was pre-Fremont Street Experience. It was great at night looking out of the room window onto the world famous "glitter gulch".
We have not stayed at the Plaza since, but we are regulars downtown, in fact, we are going to be at the Fremont in a week for 3 nights. We were considering the Golden Nugget which we have also stayed at numerous times, but we like the Fremont because it's smaller with easier access to the casino from the hotel rooms. For those who are unaware, the Fremont actually has done a renovation of their rooms in the past couple of years. While they are not luxury suites, they are clean and very comfortable, just a little small.
As far as the FSE, I don't care one way or another. I watch it from time-to-time, but don't go out of my way to go see it once I am at a table or a machine. I do agree that it did take away from the "old" Vegas feeling, but I agree with another poster, it really does provide great shade on a hot summer day. It's very pleasant to sit at the Starbucks at the GN and have a cup of java and feel the warmth without the blazing sun.
Just my two cents...
I was in Vegas last week to see City Center and Nathan Burton's Magic show. Yeah, Newman, loosen the slots. The newer penny machines have a minimum bet of 40 credits and steal your money like crazy! That canopy is a lost cause--the Plaza hotel owes $400K for its contribution to that piece of junk--ouch. I was waiting for the Greyhound bus at 2am in the morning--I could not believe how empty Fremont street was!! Downtown is finished with or without the canopy. By the way, is that $10 dinner buffet at the Plaza any good?
The Plaza had been owned by Jackie Gaughan, not his son Michael. As Jackie got older, he put all his downtown properties including the Vegas Club, and the Western up for sale. He kept the El Cortez because he lived there (still does). Barrick Gaming bought the properties with borrowed money. They hoped to improve the props with big plans, but went broke.
Barrick's financiers were Tamares, a giant European and Israeli real estate consortium that has no interest in the casino business. They hired Navagante Gaming to manage the properties. Tamares has plenty of money to put into the Plaza if it truly wished to update it, but, it obviously doesn't want to keep the place long term. Without substantial remodeling of the rooms and common areas, it can't compete and will continue it's slide.
On the other hand, the remodeling of the El Cortez has led to a very profitable property.
The FSE adds a lot to downtown. Almost all tourists will tell you they like it, they like the pedestrian mall, and they like the entertainment.
Having lived here long enough to remember the cards in the intersections on Fremont St. and using the U shaped driveway at the Plaza to turn around and "drag" Fremont.
I've seen it go from so busy with 2 way traffic - at the end of it's recent glory days. To where it was a one-way street and when you stopped at a red traffic light the panhandlers attacked your car trying to get money.
The FSE is an improvement. Yes it would be great if we could turn back the clock to better times for all of us but "that isn't going to happen".
We need to support our community and if the Plaza isn't holding up it's end then they should be sued after all their premium (over priced) coffee shop has a great view of the FSE.
I'm not a resident of your great state,I live in Alaska,however I do vacation in Vegas every year for the last 6 years and this is where I plan to vacation for some time to come, I love your town.That being said, I will let you know that if the FSE was not there I would not spend as much time down there as I do, we love going down to Freemont and we have a good time, if it was not there or suddenly gone I would have to say that it would be pretty unlikely that we would spend as much time downtown as we do now. Just thought I would give a vacationer's point of view. Anyway I'm glad it's there and we'll see you in October.
mec1979 :
Me thinks you are responding to someone else's post..
I have one word for all of DTLV:
Implosion.
I too like the old look of Fremont, with all of the neon visible from the street. We do visit downtown on most every trip. Usually do watch the light show (best one was the F-4 phantom gets roaring through the length of the canopy). But the reason we go downtown is because we enjoy the Horseshoe...I mean Binion's, Fitzgeralds and Golden Nugget Casinos. Miss the Lady Luck seafood buffet. What ever became of the similar situation with Binion's being behind on the rent owed to the landowners? I'll have to check out the Plaza next time, haven't been in there for yrars.
I enjoy downtown, my boyfriend enjoys downtown. I used to work for City of Las Vegas before I was laid off. It's a nice place to be at night during the summer. I can actually get my boyfriend to slow dance with me on Fremont while listening to the saxophone guy!!!
Want Downtown LV to make millions?
Legalize prostitution.
The only reason it was made illegal was because all of the fat wives complained when their husbands came to LV for some great sex while were attending conventions.
If the wives of these poor souls put out a little more often then the husbands wouldn't have to seek sex elsewhere.
Prostitution = should be legal everywhere in the U.S.
It's nobody's business if someone wants to get paid for providing sexual services.
Am I right, Larry?
Yes I am.
If you take away the dumb, cheesy, retard tourist attracting FSE, downtown dies. As bad as it sounds, that stupid thing is the only thing keeping downtown alive, and the "alive" part is apparently debateable. At least it keeps the temps down and prevents the urine stench from getting totally out of control. It's an attraction, and it at least get's people downtown-even if it's only once.
NeedleGuy:
You can gamble in just about any state these days, so there is no real need to come to Vegas to get your gamble on.
So I'm with you, legalize prostitution and legalize marijuana too while you're at it. Hash houses and brothels down town and we can be "sin city" once again. Not until hookers and weed are legal elsewhere will we have to find something else interesting to do.
I feel that the Fremont Street Experience has become just one big commercial for LG electronics.
Gone are the Jets and wagons of the original FSE replace with intense gaming scenes and LG ads.
Just exactly who is the operator of FSE?
i go see the FSE almost every year when in LV. i was suprized (& disappointed) with the comercials in the show. i did enjoy seeing freddie mercury but thought the KISS one kinda sucked.
P.S. i agree enviro...loosen up them slots!!!!!!!
As a longtime resident of this town, I can't speak for the light show, which I liked at first, but now feel is extremely dated, ugly and pointless, and only for the most easily amused.
I have to say I am appalled at the condition of the Plaza. One need not look far to see that that was once the queen of downtown and for a time, Las Vegas. I was at Dupar's at the Golden Gate recently and saw across the street, that the black mirrors on the hotel's facade where falling off and badly patched. The neon sign is usually half burned out and the lights that used to descend down the hotel and trace the main signage now have been burned out for over a year. Nobody has said anything.
The casino is a miserable ghost town anytime of day, apart from the scum of the earth that waddle inside and the indifferent security that stopped caring a long time ago. The carpeting is not even that old and already filthy and the rooms are earning some of the worst reviews of any place in the country.
The Las Vegas Club is equally dismal. By no coincidence, they are owned by Tamares, a greedy foreign company that cares little to maintain these downtown grand dames.
It's asif the Plaza itself is begging to be imploded and put out of it's misery.
The biggest saving grace the Plaza has is the Firefly, which attracts a well dressed, younger crowd. If you look on yelp however, they speak well only of the restaurant, not the hotel in which it's located.
It's getting down to the wire.
This hotel bursts with potential that simply is not being utilized. ANY hotel can have a transformation. Look at the Gold Spike!
I love the canopy. It has saved downtown. I come from Tucaon and always stay downtown now. The games are better downtown. Tamares is a crappy outfit and should sell its properties in Vegas before it totally ruins what's left of them.