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Party under the canopy as Golden Gate turns 118 — PHOTOS

Las Vegas knows how to celebrate newcomers like the Fontainebleau, but it also knows how to honor its pioneers, one of which can be found downtown at the corner of Main and Fremont streets.

The Golden Gate, the city’s first hotel, held a ceremony Thursday to celebrate its 118th anniversary.

“Sometimes it’s important to take a step back and think about where we came from,” said Golden Gate CEO Derek Stevens, who bought the hotel in 2008 with his brother, Greg. “And there’s no better place to think about that than the world famous Golden Gate.”

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman presented Stevens with a proclamation recognizing January 18 as “Golden Gate Day” to honor the city’s oldest hotel.

“We celebrate this historic landmark in the heart of downtown, where the past meets the future, and where the Las Vegas experience is very much alive and well,” Goodman said.

The hotel opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. It originally had only 10 rooms, which are still in use today. The city’s first telephone was installed at the hotel in 1907.

Contact Paul Pearson at ppearson@reviewjournal.com.

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