Watch Circa grow — from dirt to 35 floors in 20 months
With an original goal of completing Circa in time for a December opening, things changed when the coronavirus hit and social distancing was imposed on work crews
By Richard N. Velotta
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Building the tallest building in downtown Las Vegas was already a daunting challenge based on strict timeline constraints.
Circa owner Derek Stevens knew he had to open by December to meet lending covenants. So that became the target.
When the coronavirus hit, a new challenge emerged. Social distancing was implemented, meaning no more than four construction workers could use the slow-moving construction elevator at a time.
That’s when Stevens adopted a new strategy to complete the first five floors of the building for an Oct. 28 opening with the hotel rooms to follow in December.
In the making
480
Height in feet of Circa Resort
35
Number of floors above ground
777
Number of rooms and suites estimated when complete. The management team is making decisions on the number of suites or rooms in the top seven floors after demand is calculated.
2,100
Amount of concrete used to build, in cubic yards
8
Fremont St., the listed address of the property
Now ready to greet guests are a three-story sports book and a swimming complex large enough to be called a stadium.
1,000
Maximum number of construction workers on site
The interior
9
Number of stories of the Garage Mahal, a transportation hub across Main Street from Circa
982
Number of parking spaces at Garage Mahal
5
Number of restaurants in Circa
6
Number of bars in Circa, including the rooftop Legacy Club
1,350
Number of slot machines on the casino floor
2
Number of stories of the casino
49
Number of table games on the casino floor
3
Number of stories of the centerpiece Circa Sportsbook
1,000
Capacity of the stadium-style sportsbook that owner Derek Stevens said will be one of the largest in the world
1,500
Number of employees initially hired at Circa
974
Square footage of Fuel, a retail outlet on the first floor of the casino
4,575
Square footage of Circa Collections, a retail outlet near Stadium Swim
Stadium Swim
6
Number of tiered pools at Stadium Swim
15,000
Square footage of wet space at Stadium Swim
125
Square footage of screen at Stadium Swim
30
Number of cabanas and super cabanas that can host up to 25 guests
4,000
Capacity of Stadium Swim
337
Number of chaise lounges
38
Number of daybeds
8
Number of poolside boxes
Key dates
August 2015
Derek and Greg Stevens, owners of the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate, acquire and close the Las Vegas Club on Main Street.
April 2016
The Stevens brothers say they’ll build a third hotel-casino after acquiring a building that housed two small casinos — La Bayou and Mermaids — and the Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch adult entertainment club. The three provided land for the project.
June 2017
The process of removing the neon sidekick to Vegas Vic and the 24 big letters that spell out “Las Vegas Club” on signs from the venerable casino started a seven-month demolition.
October 2017
Demolition begins on the Las Vegas Club, La Bayou, Mermaids and the Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch.
Dec. 2017
Demolition continues into mid-December with the final clearing of the ground not expected until early 2018.
Jan. 10, 2019
Stevens announces the name of the resort will be Circa. He said at the time the Circa name is a nod to the great eras of the past, and the resort will deliver a new experience built on original old-school Vegas hospitality.
Feb. 19, 2019
The first from-the-ground-up casino project in downtown Las Vegas in 40 years breaks ground.
April 2019
The project starts to go vertical with first dozens of concrete pours.
October 2019
Stevens assures the project will open in 2020.
March 2020
Construction work crews are slowed by new social distancing requirements brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic. A slow-moving construction elevator can only take four workers at a time to the upper floor forcing Stevens to make some strategic changes in the opening.
June 18, 2020
Circa’s final metal beam is hoisted and put into place.
July 23, 2020
Circa gets its first exterior sign bearing its name with a giant “C” and “irca” being lifted to the top of the resort by YESCO Sign Co. crews.
August 2020
Circa receives clearance to open the casino and hotel rooms separately with the grand opening scheduled for Oct. 28, 2020, and hotel rooms opening in December 2020.
Sept. 24, 2020
Stevens and his team receive final, unanimous approval for licensing by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of floors Circa has..