Golden Gate Celebrates 120 Years on Fremont Street, Las Vegas

A downtown Las Vegas landmark just crossed a rare milestone. Few properties anywhere in the city can point to more than a century of continuous operation, yet one Fremont Street casino keeps doing exactly that while still adapting to modern play habits.

Good to Know

• Golden Gate Hotel and Casino reached 120 years of continuous operation
• The property removed live dealer tables in favor of electronic games in 2025
• All original guest rooms from 1906 still exist inside the building

Golden Gate Hotel and Casino marked its 120th anniversary this week, reaching the milestone while continuing to adjust casino operations to match changing customer demand in downtown Las Vegas.

The property opened on Jan. 13, 1906, under the name Hotel Nevada. At the time, guests paid $1 per day for room and board, and Fremont Street remained unpaved. The hotel later became known as Golden Gate and now holds recognition as the oldest continuously operating hotel in Las Vegas.

The anniversary arrives after a notable operational shift. In August 2025, Golden Gate removed all live dealer table games and replaced them with electronic table games across the casino floor, reflecting evolving player preferences.

“This is, literally, the birthplace of hotel tourism and casino as we know it today in Las Vegas,” said Jeff Victor, vice president of operations for Circa Hospitality Group.

Before the Hotel Came the Tent

The history of the site stretches back even further than the hotel opening. In 1905, the land at what later became 1 Fremont Street sold at auction for $1,750 to John F. Miller, one of the earliest settlers in Las Vegas.

Miller first ran a tent hotel on the site. That early setup ranked among the first downtown properties to feature piped water, according to Young Las Vegas 1905 to 1931 by Joan Burkhart Whitely.

Hotel Nevada later rose from that same corner at Fremont and Main streets, anchoring a stretch of downtown that would define early Las Vegas tourism.

Original Structure Still in Plain Sight

Hotel Nevada opened with 10 guest rooms, and every one of them remains part of the current room inventory. Signs of the original footprint remain visible today.

Seven narrow second floor windows face Fremont Street, while 11 windows line the Main Street side. Those details trace the building original shape at the corner of Fremont and Main and remain among the most recognizable architectural markers downtown.

Renovation work over the years uncovered layers of early expansion. A former kitchen space on the Main Street side still shows traces of its past and remains partially visible to visitors.

“The fact that (Golden Gate) still exists is part miracle, I guess,” Victor said.

Ownership Changes and Neon History

In 2006, brothers Derek Stevens and Greg Stevens acquired the property. The pair also operate The D and Circa, forming a small cluster of downtown Las Vegas casinos under shared ownership.

Golden Gate also holds a place in early neon history. While operating as Hotel Nevada, the building displayed the second neon sign in downtown Las Vegas, trailing only the Overland Hotel, which no longer stands.

Anniversary Celebration Downtown

Golden Gate marked the 120 year milestone with a public celebration held Friday at 6 p.m. in downtown Las Vegas. The event featured giveaways, complimentary birthday shots, and limited commemorative merchandise tied to the anniversary.

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