Fremont Street Experience
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The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch," and portions of some other adjacent streets.
The attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 feet high at the peak, that covers four blocks or approximately 1,500 feet.
While Las Vegas is known for never turning the outside casino lights off, each show begins by turning off the lights on all of the buildings, including the casinos, under the canopy. Before each show, the streets that still cross the experience are blocked off for safety reasons.
Concerts, usually free, are also held on two sound stages. The venue has become a major tourist attraction for downtown Las Vegas, and is also the location of the Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience and the city's annual New Year's Eve party, complete with fireworks on the display screen.
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[edit] History
Fremont Street is rich in history. It held many Las Vegas "firsts," including first hotel (the Hotel Nevada in 1906, present day Golden Gate), first telephone (1907),[1] first paved street (1925), first Nevada gaming license — issued to the Northern Club at 15 E. Fremont St, first traffic light, and first elevator (the Apache Hotel in 1932). The first high-rise (the Fremont Hotel in 1956). The Horseshoe was the first casino to install carpeting, while the Golden Nugget was the first structure designed from the ground up to be a casino.[2]
For many years, the western end of Fremont Street was the area most commonly portrayed whenever producers wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The large number of neon signs earned the area the nickname "Glitter Gulch."
The Fremont Street Experience was conceived in the 1990s as a way to draw more people to the ailing downtown gambling area. The FSE is a cooperative venture, owned and operated by a group of downtown hotel/casino companies (comprising 10 hotel/casinos) as a separate corporation, with the ongoing involvement of the city since the FSE is considered a city park.
It was the first Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, whose firm was paid approximately $900,000 by the City of Las Vegas to create a concept for the downtown area.[citation needed] Jerde's planning design was a floating sky parade which was to be suspended from the canopy. The concept was accepted by the Fremont Street Experience as well as the City of Las Vegas. Ultimately Jon Jerde's concept was scrapped.[citation needed]
The local Architect of Record, the firm of Mary Kozlowski Architect, Inc., cited the following as problems with Jon Jerde's concept:
- Perspective: The view of the parade from below made the concept unworkable — to properly view the project would require that visitors stand at a raised elevation such as a third or fourth floor vantage point.
- Wind: The addition of the canopy over Fremont Street would create a wind tunnel causing a dangerous condition for people on the floats who would be trapped. Also the potential for harmonic motion as the floats swung back and forth in the wind potentially resulting in massive structural failure of the canopy and fatalities.
- Sand: The combination of desert sand and the mechanical systems of the sky parade would be difficult to maintain.[citation needed]
A new concept for the show was necessary quickly as funds were already available and the overall schedule was set. The concept for the show as it now exists was conceived by architect Mary Kozlowski who had grown up in Las Vegas and knew and loved Fremont Street. It was a light show on the underside of the canopy — the world's largest and most spectacular. Peter Smith, vice-president of Atlandia Design, recognized the beauty and practicality of the concept. Jon Jerde, FSE and the City of Las Vegas embraced the concept.[citation needed]
Kozlowski's concept was to use a combination of four colored light bulbs per "light" which allowed a full spectrum of colors. The Young Electric Sign Company assisted in creating the test panels and in the final installation. After the Fremont Street Experience opened, the light bulbs were checked nightly to insure that all were functioning properly. To accomplish this massive undertaking, the length of the canopy was divided into panels. Each panel was checked by separately turning on each of the four colored light bulbs. A maintenance worker on a lift would then replace any bulbs that were out. The most expensive bulb costs nearly $15 to replace.[citation needed]
On September 7, 1994, a five-block section of Fremont Street was closed and the groundbreaking was held on September 16. After that, the digging up of the street and the installation of the support poles continued into December. On February 15, 1995, the space frames were brought in and the roof began to take shape. The last piece was put on in July 1995.
The official public preview was held in conjunction with the Nevada Symphony. The light show was opened a bit later on December 14, 1995. The first New Year's party was held on December 31, 1995.
The Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience opened in November 1996 with the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign being lit at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. The museum features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors. For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company stored many of these signs in their bone yard. The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements. The museum is slowly restoring the signs and placing them around the FSE.
Permanent stages were added in the early 2000s, eliminating the need to bring in temporary stages for every event. The sound system was upgraded in June 2001.
On June 14, 2004, a $17 million upgrade was unveiled that would feature a 12.5-million LED display and more color combinations than the original display, which was composed of incandescent lighting.
[edit] Major Features
[edit] Viva Vision
The LED display "canopy", rising 90 feet in height and stretching 1,400 feet along the Fremont Street Experience promenade from Main Street to Fourth Street. Holding the canopy aloft are 16 columns, each weighing 26,000 pounds and can hold up 400,000 pounds, and 43,000 struts.
A section comprising one fiftieth of the total canopy equals the size of the world’s current largest electric sign. Originally, nearly 2.1 million incandescent lights were housed in the canopy. With the completion of the $17 million upgrade, more than 12 million LED lamps illuminate the overhead canopy. Within the canopy itself are 220 speakers capable of producing 550,000 watts of sound.
[edit] Light & Sound Shows
Light & Sound Shows are presented nightly beginning at dusk. The number of nightly shows was increased during the 2004 upgrade. Some of the most popular shows include the "Lucky Vegas" show which pays tribute to some of the most well known Vegas icons. "Smoke, Speed and Spinning Wheels" gives visitors an inside look at the sport of race car driving. "Area 51" is a show that pits humans against a swarm of alien invaders. "American Freedom" serves as tribute to the United States while "The Drop" takes visitors on a journey that begins with one drop of water.
[edit] Pedestrian Mall
Created when Fremont Street was closed permanently to vehicular traffic in September of 1994. When the light and sound shows are not being presented, music is played throughout the mall.
[edit] The Parking Plaza
The Parking Plaza is located at the eastern end of Fremont Street. It is a 1,430-space parking structure built to accommodate an increase in visitors to downtown.
[edit] Neonopolis
Neonopolis, forming the east end of the pedestrian mall, where Las Vegas Boulevard South meets Fremont Street, is a $100 million open-air restaurant, shop and entertainment complex with a 14-screen Galaxy Theaters movie theater. It is home to the Poker Dome Challenge.
[edit] Technical details
The initial display contained about 2.1 million lightbulbs controlled by 32 computers located in kiosks on the mall. The sound system, using speakers suspended over the mall, was rated at 350,000 watts. Strobe lights were added at some point to provide additional entertainment options on Disco Nights.
Displaying images that looked "real" took some innovation. New techniques were developed to make these curved, low-resolution images viewable from the ground. One adjustment was to move images slowly across the display to prevent blurring.
The 2001 upgrade to the sound system raised the power to 550,000 watts.
The 2004 upgrade features a 12.5-million LED display and more color combinations than the original display. The old control system was replaced by a central control room using 10 computers.
[edit] FSE casino/hotel companies
- Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel
- Boyd Gaming Corporation:
- Fitzgerald's Casino Hotel
- Four Queens Hotel & Casino
- Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
- Golden Nugget Las Vegas
- Las Vegas Club Hotel & Casino
- Lady Luck Hotel Casino (closed) (associate member)
[edit] External links
- Fremont Street Experience web site
- About Fremont Street Experience
- Video review of the Fremont Street Experience as a Travel Destination
- Video of The Fremont Street Experience
- Fremont Street Experience Timeline
[edit] References
- ^ Cable company offers land line phone service. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ Facts About the Fremont Street Experience. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
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