Photos: Take a look at the over-the-top Circa a week before opening

Image

Christopher DeVargas

The new sports book at Circa is seen during a media tour of the property Monday Oct. 19, 2020, as it prepares for their opening on October 28th.

Wed, Oct 21, 2020 (9 p.m.)

Circa Resort Media Preview

A look at Stadium Swim at Circa during a media preview of the resort Monday Oct. 19, 2020. The property makes its final finishing touches for the October 28 opening. Launch slideshow »

Circa Las Vegas owner Derek Stevens is sitting in the massive sports book at his new downtown property. He looks around at the bright lights, projection screens and other features and can’t help soaking it all in.

The end result is everything he imagined, he proudly proclaims.

“It’s pretty cool,” Stevens says while toying with remote controls. “It’s a little different than my DirectTV remote control at home. This is like NASA.”

Complete with stadium-style seating and plush recliners, Circa’s sports book represents just one of the eye-popping aspects of the $1 billion resort, which opens all but its hotel offerings Oct. 28.

The property, which features 777 rooms within a 35-story hotel tower, is the first downtown casino resort to be built from the ground-up in four decades.

It’s packed with over-the-top features, including:

Click to enlarge photo

The fully restored Vegas Vickie sign is seen inside Circa during a media preview of the resort Monday Oct. 19, 2020. The property makes its final finishing touches as it prepares to open to the public on October 28.

Vegas Vickie’s lounge

Fabricator Eric Elizondo in early October worked on a small piece of glass tubing that would end up being part of one of Vegas Vickie’s white gloves.

Vegas Vickie, of course, is the identity of the leg-kicking, gun-toting, blond cowgirl sign that used to grace the old Glitter Gulch adult club on Fremont Street. With an ever-present appreciation for Las Vegas’ colorful history, Stevens kept the 25-foot sign after acquiring, and eventually razing, the Glitter Gulch property in 2016.

Last year, Vegas Vickie, due for a makeover, was sent to Yesco’s facility on South Cameron Street so Elizondo and some others could freshen her bones and neon lights.

Vegas Vickie’s “rehab,” as Stevens calls it, was finished in February, but she was bumped and bruised a little during Circa’s construction, so she underwent some additional work.

Every piece of neon-spouting tube on Vegas Vickie’s frame that isn’t straight has to be bent by hand, which is where Elizondo and his co-workers come in. It’s a meticulous process, but something Elizondo has been doing for more than three decades.

He’s worked on numerous recognizable signs around town, including the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign just south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Boulevard, which his father helped build decades ago.

“We have people from all over the world come (to Las Vegas) and maybe it brings a little bit of joy to their lives,” Elizondo said.

The sign is the centerpiece, suspended in the air near the end of the bar, at Vegas Vickie’s lounge on the first floor of Circa, near the hotel lobby.

Noticeably absent from the lounge are any TV screens or any bar top gaming options.

That, according to lounge designer Alice O’Keefe, is because Vegas Vickie’s was built to have an intimate feel. Part of that comes from the lounge’s sheer drapes, which help make it more private.

“It’s a place where you could have a nice conversation with someone,” O’Keefe said. “The area is also about paying tribute to the classy lady that Vegas Vickie is.”

Click to enlarge photo

A look at Stadium Swim at Circa during a media preview of the resort Monday Oct. 19, 2020. The property makes its final finishing touches for the October 28 opening.

Stadium Swim

Stadium Swim features a huge — 140-by-40-foot — video screen that towers over six separate pools and 30 cabanas capable of hosting up to 25 guests each.

The venue will be free for Circa, Golden Gate and The D guests, and will be open every day of the year. The pools will be heated when necessary.

“It’s something new that we’re bringing to Vegas,” Stevens said. “There’s going to be a lot of people talking about it and taking pictures. It’s about combining music and sunshine and water and watch parties and a great overall vibe. It will hopefully be a destination for downtown.”

With its urban rooftop feel — recognizable downtown resorts like The D, Plaza and Fremont surround it — and swim-up bars, Stadium Swim figures to have a party atmosphere daily.

The area can hold up to 4,000 people — about 240 can be swimming at any one time — and Circa officials say an ultraviolet light system and frequent water recirculation patterns are designed to destroy viruses, pathogens and other contaminants. 

Click to enlarge photo

The sports book at Circa is seen during a media tour of the property Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, as the $1 billion resort prepares to open Oct. 28.

Circa Sports

When walking into Circa Sports, an observer can’t help but feel like entering an entertainment megaplex.

A massive video board made of about 20 high-definition screens is likely the first feature an onlooker will notice. Stevens said it takes 10 people to operate the 78-million-pixel mega screen.

The odds board seems nearly as big, but it’s the seating options that provide a different feel from most sportsbook venues.

About 1,000 people can fit into the book, with 164 stadium-style seats stationed behind two rows of plush recliners and cushioned seats (nearly 50 total).

The goal for Stevens, a Michigan native, was to re-create the feel of a real sports stadium experience.

For instance, the Overhang Bar, a bar and seating area above Circa Sports, is meant to mimic the famed right field overhanging stands at the old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, which was the home of the Detroit Tigers baseball club from 1912 through 1999.

Dubbed by Stevens as the “world’s largest sports book,” Circa Sports turned out almost exactly as envisioned, he said, right down to the plaid red, blue and gold carpet, which are a nod to the plaid suits he likes to wear.

“This is what’s been in my mind for a while,” Stevens said. “It was about trying to take some of the best attributes from sports-watching experiences that I’ve been able to be a part of over the years, from coming to Las Vegas Super Bowl parties 25 years ago to sports books of the past and present.”

It was important, he said, to offer convenience, beyond the different food and drink options.

Every premium seat, along with all stadium seats, comes complete with plug-in capability, important nowadays for those with cellphones and tablets.

The book also has a smaller satellite location near the “Garage Mahal” entrance. That’s for bettors who would rather make their wager and leave, though they’d be missing out on an experience in that case.

Click to enlarge photo

Legacy Club, a luxe rooftop lounge with panoramic city views. (Renderings Courtesy of Circa Resort & Casino)

Legacy Club

The 35th-floor cocktail bar will pay homage to some of the executives who helped build Las Vegas into what it is today.

The lounge will feature metal busts of Sam Boyd, Steve Wynn, Benny Binion, Kirk Kerkorian, Jackie Gaughan, Howard Hughes and Frank Fertitta Jr., all of whom have established resort companies in Southern Nevada.

“It’s important to remember some Las Vegas history,” Stevens said. “There’s a connection at Circa with Vegas' past and years gone by.”

The luxe rooftop lounge with panoramic city views has five outdoor fire pits, while the bartop is made of gold bars — 1,000 ounces worth. As of Wednesday, gold futures settled at just over $1,929 per ounce, which means the bar display would be worth about $1.9 million.

Starting in December when the hotel portion of the property debuts, the Legacy Club will be open until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and until 2 a.m. from Sunday through Wednesday.

Garage Mahal

As its name suggests, the Circa parking garage was built to offer what officials say is an upscale experience.

Connected to the Circa complex via an air-conditioned bridge walkway over Main Street, Garage Mahal is nine stories tall with a capacity of nearly 1,000 parking spaces.

Circa officials wanted to make sure the garage is well-lit with a focus on cleanliness and safety. 

Other than its design and convenience — it’s said to be made with rideshare drivers in mind — the garage’s most noticeable feature is probably the 22-foot chandelier on the first floor near the escalator, which repeats the message “time of your life” in blue lighting.

The chandelier was made by Egads, a Las Vegas creative lighting firm. The garage also features three large murals created by local artist and Las Vegas native Eric Vozzola.

Back to top

SHARE