November 5, 2020
Downtown Rebound
Derek Stevens was a player long before he became a casino owner. He was a manufacturer from Michigan who would make several pilgrimages to Vegas every year, mostly around sporting events, to bet on them. Stevens and his brother Greg bought the Golden Gate in Downtown Las Vegas, the oldest casino in Las Vegas, and transformed it after a renovation. Five years later, Stevens bought the old Fitzgeralds casino, a few blocks up from the Golden Gate, creating the D. A few years later, he bought land behind the D and created the Downtown Events Center, an outdoor events space. Stevens started assembling land across the street from the Golden Gate at the foot of Fremont Street, which is where he envisioned his perfect casino, Circa. To design the casino, Stevens held a competition between some of the most prestigious architecture firms in gaming. Stevens paid each firm to present a concept and a preliminary design. The winner? No surprise, Steelman Partners, a firm that has put its stamp on many gaming jurisdictions.
