Fremont Street is probably the most famous street in Las Vegas, Nevada besides the Las Vegas Strip. Fremont was the major street in the downtown casino corridor. It is, or was the address for many of the famous casinos such as Binion’s Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club.
Prior to the construction of the Fremont Street Experience, Fremont Street was the picture of Las Vegas that was included in virtually every television show and movie that wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The abundance of neon earned the steet the nickname of Glitter Gulch.
Fremont Street by night.
History
Fremont Street dates back to 1905, when Las Vegas itself was founded.
Fremont Street’s illuminated “Space Frame”.
While gambling was well established prior to being legalized, the Northern Club in 1931 received one of the first 6 gambling licenses issued in Nevada and the first one for Fremont Street.
Glitter Gulch was closed to vehicle traffic in September, 1994 to begin construction on the Fremont Street Experience. (Wikipedia)
Fremont Street was the major street in the downtown Las Vegas casino corridor. It is, or was the address for many of the famous casinos such as Binion’s Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club. Prior to the construction of the Fremont Street Experience, Fremont Street was the picture of Las Vegas that was included in virtually every television show and movie that wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The abundance of neon earned the street the nickname of Glitter Gulch. Fremont Street dates back to 1905, when Las Vegas itself was founded. While gambling was well established prior to being legalized, the Northern Club in 1931 received one of the first 6 gambling licenses issued in Nevada and the first one for Fremont Street. Glitter Gulch was closed to vehicle traffic in September, 1994 to begin construction on the Fremont Street Experience.
The Frement Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction that occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street. The attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 feet high at the peak, that covers four blocks or approximately 1,500 feet. It was the first Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, who went on to design the facade of Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and other projects on the Las Vegas Strip. The underside of the canopy is covered with an LED display, referred to as “Viva Vision” and built by the LG Corporation, programmed to show periodic sound-and-light presentations after dark. 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.
The Frement Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction that occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street. The attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 feet high at the peak, that covers four blocks or approximately 1,500 feet. It was the first Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, who went on to design the facade of Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and other projects on the Las Vegas Strip. The underside of the canopy is covered with an LED display, referred to as “Viva Vision” and built by the LG Corporation, programmed to show periodic sound-and-light presentations after dark. 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.
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. (Flickr)
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