Circus Circus Reno
Encyclopedia
Circus Circus is a circus-themed hotel
and casino
located in Reno
, Nevada
, owned by MGM Resorts International. Circus Circus includes a 1,572 room hotel and a 65000 sq ft (6,038.7 m²) casino which features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day over the midway which also offers 33 carnival games.
Circus Circus is the second-largest hotel in downtown Reno (and third-largest in in the Reno area overall) by number of rooms.
which, at the time, was the only department store in the state of Nevada. Originally opened on November 7, 1957, the structure replaced a prior store location which was destroyed by a gas explosion on February 5, 1957 and is now the site of the Palladio condominiums. The new store contained 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) of retail space and 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) of storage space in a basement and 2 retail floors accessible by escalators, and had 45 departments including an electronics shop selling televisions and radios, a bookstore, record store, and wine shop, as well as a restaurant, beauty salon, and cobbler.
1977 brought about plans to enlarge the store, adding 2 additional floors, 102 hotel rooms, and a casino. The casino would have been known as Camp 14, and would have had a logging theme. The south portion of the first floor would have remained under the name Grey Reid's, but would sell only woman's clothing, and would contain an expanded beauty salon. The plan never materialized, and Grey Reid's moved to a new location in the Old Town Mall (now known as the Reno Town Mall) in July of that year. Instead, the owners were approached by CIRCO Resorts, then operating company of Circus Circus Las Vegas. After about a year of renovations, the casino opened on July 1, 1978, about a decade after its Las Vegas counterpart, and on the same day as the opening of the Sahara Reno (now the Montage condominiums) and the opening of the expansion of the Money Tree. Circus Circus Reno was inspired by the gaming boom spurred by the new MGM Grand in Reno, casino companies wanted to gain some of that momentum. The Reno Circus opened with a small hotel and very similar attractions to its Las Vegas counterpart.
The Circus Circus Reno has two hotel towers: the Casino Tower and the Sky Tower. The Casino Tower, with 625 rooms, was opened in 1981 and has a height of 225 ft (68 m) and 22 floors. The Sky Tower, with 905 rooms, was opened in 1986 and has a height of 278 ft (84 m) and 28 floors. In 1995, extensive renovations were completed, including the remodel of the mezzanine level where the restaurants are located, the midway, and a skybridge
connecting to the Silver Legacy
In 2008, Circus Circus had planned on adding an indoor swimming pool. Until the opening of the Silver Legacy in 1995, guests at Circus Circus did not have access to swimming facilities. According to a rendering on the Circus Circus website, the pool would have been under a glass canopy, placed atop the skybridge tram station. As of July 2010, construction has yet to begin. In addition, all references to the project on the resort's website have been removed. It is unlikely Circus Circus Reno will ever be remodeled by MGM Resorts International in the near term as they had planned on selling it and while no one will comment on the situation, Circus Circus Reno is likely still on the market.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
located in Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, owned by MGM Resorts International. Circus Circus includes a 1,572 room hotel and a 65000 sq ft (6,038.7 m²) casino which features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day over the midway which also offers 33 carnival games.
Circus Circus is the second-largest hotel in downtown Reno (and third-largest in in the Reno area overall) by number of rooms.
History
The main structure was originally built as a Gray, Reid & Wright Department StoreDepartment store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
which, at the time, was the only department store in the state of Nevada. Originally opened on November 7, 1957, the structure replaced a prior store location which was destroyed by a gas explosion on February 5, 1957 and is now the site of the Palladio condominiums. The new store contained 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) of retail space and 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) of storage space in a basement and 2 retail floors accessible by escalators, and had 45 departments including an electronics shop selling televisions and radios, a bookstore, record store, and wine shop, as well as a restaurant, beauty salon, and cobbler.
1977 brought about plans to enlarge the store, adding 2 additional floors, 102 hotel rooms, and a casino. The casino would have been known as Camp 14, and would have had a logging theme. The south portion of the first floor would have remained under the name Grey Reid's, but would sell only woman's clothing, and would contain an expanded beauty salon. The plan never materialized, and Grey Reid's moved to a new location in the Old Town Mall (now known as the Reno Town Mall) in July of that year. Instead, the owners were approached by CIRCO Resorts, then operating company of Circus Circus Las Vegas. After about a year of renovations, the casino opened on July 1, 1978, about a decade after its Las Vegas counterpart, and on the same day as the opening of the Sahara Reno (now the Montage condominiums) and the opening of the expansion of the Money Tree. Circus Circus Reno was inspired by the gaming boom spurred by the new MGM Grand in Reno, casino companies wanted to gain some of that momentum. The Reno Circus opened with a small hotel and very similar attractions to its Las Vegas counterpart.
The Circus Circus Reno has two hotel towers: the Casino Tower and the Sky Tower. The Casino Tower, with 625 rooms, was opened in 1981 and has a height of 225 ft (68 m) and 22 floors. The Sky Tower, with 905 rooms, was opened in 1986 and has a height of 278 ft (84 m) and 28 floors. In 1995, extensive renovations were completed, including the remodel of the mezzanine level where the restaurants are located, the midway, and a skybridge
Skybridge
Skybridge may refer to:* an alternate term for skyway.* The bridge named Skybridge in Vancouver, Canada.* The bridge named Skye Bridge in Britain.* The bridge named Langkawi Sky Bridge in Malaysia.* The Skybridge Building in Chicago, United States....
connecting to the Silver Legacy
Silver Legacy Resort Casino
The Silver Legacy Resort & Casino is a land based hotel and casino in Downtown Reno, Nevada, it opened on July 28, 1995. It anchors a network of connected hotel-casinos in the downtown Reno core that included jointly owned properties Eldorado Hotel-Casino and Circus Circus Reno...
In 2008, Circus Circus had planned on adding an indoor swimming pool. Until the opening of the Silver Legacy in 1995, guests at Circus Circus did not have access to swimming facilities. According to a rendering on the Circus Circus website, the pool would have been under a glass canopy, placed atop the skybridge tram station. As of July 2010, construction has yet to begin. In addition, all references to the project on the resort's website have been removed. It is unlikely Circus Circus Reno will ever be remodeled by MGM Resorts International in the near term as they had planned on selling it and while no one will comment on the situation, Circus Circus Reno is likely still on the market.