Las Vegas Club Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

The Las Vegas Club was a long-running hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas at 18 Fremont Street, where it became an anchor of the Fremont Street gaming district before closing in 2015. Its origins trace back to 1930, when the Las Vegas Club first opened at 21-23 Fremont Street, adjacent to the older Las Vegas Hotel. In 1949, the Club relocated across the street into the Overland Hotel building, which dated from 1905. Over time, the Club and Overland Hotel properties became intertwined and were eventually purchased together. In 1962, prominent local casino operator Jackie Gaughan, together with Mel Exber and Larry Hezzelwood, acquired the Las Vegas Club (and Overland Hotel). Under their ownership, the Las Vegas Club adopted a sports-theme identity. Restaurants themed “Bullpen” and “Dugout” were added, and a Sports Hall of Fame showcasing memorabilia became a key attraction. The Club’s facade was remodeled to echo a sports stadium aesthetic, complete with mirrored panels and a brass statue of a baseball player. A major expansion came in 1996, with a $35 million renovation adding a 16-story tower, enlarging the casino floor, and deepening the sports motif with murals and stadium-style elements. Over the years the property had up to 410 hotel rooms. Despite its storied legacy, the Las Vegas Club declined in later years. The hotel portion was shuttered in April 2013, though the casino remained open for a time. The Club’s casino ultimately closed on August 20, 2015, after 85 years of operation under various forms. Following closure, the site was sold to developers Derek and Greg Stevens, who chose to demolish the existing structures rather than renovate. Demolition began in 2017, and in 2020 the Circa Resort & Casino opened on that footprint. Throughout its life, the Las Vegas Club served as a microcosm of downtown’s evolution: a modest early gaming house, later a themed spectacle, then an aging relic in a city racing forward. Its blend of nostalgia, sports imagery, and vintage Las Vegas flavor ensured that even in closure, the Club’s name remains woven into Fremont Street lore.