Bourbon Square Casino Explained

Bourbon Square Casino
Location:Sparks, Nevada, U.S.
Address:1040 Victorian Avenue
Theme:New Orleans
Space Gaming:15776square feet[1]
Owner:Northern Star Casinos
Architect:Worth Group
Names Pre:Sparks Silver Club (1964–67)
Karl's Silver Club (1967–84)
Karl's Hotel and Casino (1984 onward)
Silver Club (until 2009)
Bourbon Street Casino (2013, unused)
Renovations:2013

Bourbon Square Casino (formerly Silver Club and Bourbon Street Casino) was a casino and former hotel in Downtown Sparks, Nevada. The property operated until January 11, 2009, as Silver Club. The property reopened as Bourbon Square on August 1, 2013, and operated until February 5, 2015. It was demolished in 2018.

History

As of 1961, the property operated as Danny & Don's Bar.[2] [3] In 1964, it was renamed as Sparks Silver Club.[2] [4] As of 1965, the casino was operated by Phair Corporation, and was owned by Ben H. Coleman and Arthur Oetjen with 30 percent ownership each, and Lyndon E. Short with 40 percent.[5] [6] That year, a man filed a complaint against Sparks Silver Club, alleging the casino denied paying him $10,000 after he won a keno game the previous October. The casino believed that cheating was involved in the man's win.[7] [8] [9] The Nevada Gaming Control Board requested the Nevada Gaming Commission to suspend or revoke the casino's gaming license over its refusal to pay the $10,000.[7] In June 1965, the gaming commission voted 4–1 to deny the request, allowing the casino to continue operations.[10] Karl Berge, who would become the paternal grandfather of future actress Jena Malone, purchased the casino in 1967.[11]

In January 1980, Berge had tentative plans for a five-story, 200-room hotel to be built on a 0.89-acre site behind the casino, known then as Karl's Silver Club.[12] Sparks city planners as well as some nearby residents were concerned about parking and traffic in the area following the opening of the hotel, so the project was redesigned to include nearly twice as many parking spaces. The Sparks City Council approved plans for an eight-floor, 209-room hotel in May 1980, with construction expected to begin two months later. The hotel would cost between $3.8 million and $4.8 million.[13] [14] The hotel was to be built in a terraced stair-step shape rising away from residential houses to avoid casting shadows on them.[12] [15] In September 1980, the city approved redesigned plans to build the hotel in a vertical and conventional shape, allowing for lower construction costs. The redesigned hotel would include 235 rooms. It was designed by Fred Dolven, who said the original design would have caused the project to run 40 percent over initial estimates.[15]

Groundbreaking for the hotel took place on July 1, 1981, with completion expected by March 1982. Walker Boudwin Construction Co. was the general contractor for the $3.5 million, contemporary style hotel, which would be four stories tall and include 130 rooms. It was designed with the potential to add two additional floors in the future. The hotel would allow Karl's Silver Club to expand its clientele, which primarily consisted of tour bus customers.[16] In August 1981, the city council unanimously approved Berge's request to increase the hotel to six stories and 206 rooms.[17] The $5.2 million hotel opened in March 1982.[18] The hotel, named Karl's Hotel, held a grand opening ceremony on April 16, 1982.[19] [20] In May 1983, construction began on an $8 million renovation of the casino that would include convention space and new restaurants.[21] [22] The expanded casino project ultimately cost $14 million, and was opened in September 1984, with the property now known as Karl's Hotel and Casino.[23]

The property would later be known as Silver Club. It closed on January 11, 2009. In August 2009, Max Baer Jr., who played Jethro Bodine in The Beverly Hillbillies, began looking into purchasing the property and turning it into Jethro's Beverly Hillbillies Hotel & Casino.[24] Baer has tried to develop a Northern Nevada casino in at least 4 other locations. However, the plan, like his others, never came into fruition.

It reopened as Bourbon Square Casino on August 1, 2013, and continued operating until February 5, 2015.[25] [26] [27] Demolition of Bourbon Square began in November 2018. On May 15, 2019, the Nugget Event Center, an 8,000-seat amphitheater, opened in its former location.[28] [29]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Listing of Financial Statements Square Footage. Nevada Gaming Control Board. August 29, 2015. December 25, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161225155040/http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=3428. dead.
  2. Web site: Business listings . Nevada State Journal . April 26, 1964 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  3. News: Danny & Don's . January 31, 2019 . Reno Evening Gazette . January 26, 1961 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  4. Web site: Danny & Don's Bar . Reno Evening Gazette . February 29, 1964 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  5. Web site: Discrepancies claimed at Silver Club . Reno Evening Gazette . April 21, 1965 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  6. Web site: Sparks Club Ownership Change Asked . Reno Evening Gazette . February 20, 1964 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  7. Web site: Keno Ticket Case Is Basis Of Complaint: Commission Seeks Action; Sparks Club Named . Reno Evening Gazette . February 4, 1965 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  8. Web site: Casino Claims It Was Victim Of Swindle . Reno Evening Gazette . February 18, 1965 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  9. Web site: Case of Sparks Silver Club Studied by Gaming Officials . Reno Evening Gazette . April 22, 1965 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  10. Web site: State Upholds Casino Refusal To Pay Ticket . Reno Evening Gazette . June 23, 1965 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  11. Web site: Malone . Jena . My grandfather Karl Berge opened up a casino called Karl's Silver Club in Sparks, NV in 1967 . Facebook . February 1, 2019 . August 14, 2014.
  12. Web site: Sparks man proposes new hotel . Reno Evening Gazette . January 31, 1980 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  13. Web site: Sparks council to consider Berge hotel . Reno Evening Gazette . May 26, 1980 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  14. Web site: Sparks hotel construction plans get green light . Reno Evening Gazette . May 28, 1980 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  15. Web site: Hotel addition design change granted . Reno Evening Gazette . September 23, 1980 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  16. Web site: Sparks hotel project begun . Reno Evening Gazette . July 2, 1981 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  17. Web site: Sparks council rejects raising school zone speed . Reno Evening Gazette . August 25, 1981 . January 31, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  18. Web site: Karl's opens 206-room hotel: 'Beginning of the Sparks strip' . Reno Evening Gazette . March 2, 1982 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  19. Web site: Briefly . . . . Reno Evening Gazette . April 16, 1982 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  20. Web site: Hangin' Out . Reno Evening Gazette . April 16, 1982 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  21. Web site: Karl's Silver Club turns 'sweet sixteen' . Reno Evening Gazette . July 14, 1983 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  22. Web site: Sparks casino plans birthday party . Reno Evening Gazette . July 15, 1983 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  23. Web site: Karl's holds grand opening for expanded casino . Reno Gazette-Journal . September 6, 1984 . February 1, 2019 . Newspapers.com. subscription .
  24. News: Silver Club Could Become Hillbilly Casino. August 20, 2009. KOLO-TV. November 10, 2009. August 22, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090822173831/http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/53748302.html. dead.
  25. News: Corona. Marcella. Owners announce sale of Bourbon Square Casino in Sparks. January 31, 2015. Reno Gazette-Journal. January 31, 2015.
  26. News: Bourbon Square Casino announces sale. January 31, 2015. KRNV-DT. January 31, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150131061911/http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/Bourbon-Square-Casino-announces-sale/CpVudB_XRkm1ldDx-gr1QA.cspx. January 31, 2015.
  27. Web site: Bourbon Square Casino to Close . https://archive.today/20150131031118/http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Bourbon-Square-Casino-to-Close-290397671.html . 31 January 2015 . dead.
  28. News: Marnell Gaming begins exterior demolition of Bourbon Square in Sparks . January 4, 2019 . KRNV . November 16, 2018.
  29. News: Nelson . Paul . Bourbon Square Casino Getting Demolished . January 4, 2019 . KTNV . November 19, 2018.

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