| The Montage Reno | |
|---|---|
| Address | 255 North Sierra Street Reno, Nevada 89501 |
| Opening date | 1978 |
| Closing date | 2006 |
| Theme | urban
condos=370 units |
| Casino type | Land-Based |
| Owner | Starwood Assets and Holdings |
| Previous names | Sahara Reno Hilton Reno Flamingo Hilton |
The Montage Reno, is a Condo tower and former Casino hotel in Reno, Nevada. The building was converted into condominiums in 2007-09.[1]
The Virginia Street casino operated from 1955 until 1978 as the Primadonna. From 1989 to 1992, it was known as Pacos, before becoming part of the Flamingo Hilton and then the Golden Phoenix.
The main hotel/casino, on North Sierra Street, was originally opened in 1978 as the Sahara Reno. In 1981, the Sahara became the Hilton Reno, then renovated in 1989 and became the Flamingo Hilton. In early October, 2001, Park Place Entertainment agreed to sell the property to RFC Reno, LLC, a subsidiary of Capital One, LLC, with sale completion expected within about 30 days. Park Place Entertainment closed the Flamingo on October 23, 2001. The hotel was re-opened, by the new owners, as the Golden Phoenix, in April 2002. The casino was finally re-opened in the Summer of 2003. The 2003 movie The Cooler was filmed there during the remodeling. While the Golden Phoenix's Virginia Street Casino remained open, the hotel tower and casino on N. Sierra Street closed in 2005 and are currently undergoing conversion to the Montage condominiums.[2]
As reported in the nationally syndicated gaming advice column written by Mark Pilarski, the Golden Phoenix was the site of the longest craps shooting roll in Nevada history. A shooter began his roll of the dice Saturday, November 15, 2003 at approximately 11 p.m., and did not roll a "seven" (neither a seven "out" nor a seven "winner") until approximately 2:15 a.m. Sunday. This incredible turn cost the club a mere $70,000; however, due to the management's inability to keep an accurate count of their losses as they occurred, the table's boxman and the casino shift manager were terminated as a result of the player's good fortune.
The long roll broke the previous unofficial Nevada record established years earlier at the California Club in Las Vegas.
As of October 2006, the Virginia Street casino was closed and is currently undergoing a complete remodel, which, as of December 2009, has yet to be completed. According to the August 20, 2008 city council meeting agenda, the owners of the property, L3 development, petitioned the city for a new gaming license for "Club 241", which would be in the location of the old Virginia Street Casino.[3]
As for the hotel tower and N. Sierra St. casino, only the structural steel and concrete were retained from the old building. The Montage condos opened in April 2009 with retail and restaurants on the first floor. A plaza on the north side of the building that expands over the train trench is currently under construction. The plaza side of the building will be the location of the planned Ruth's Chris Steak House. Due to the decline in the economy, all planned retail and restaurants have been put on hold.
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