Fremont Street is a street in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
that is the second most famous street in the
Las Vegas Valley
The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...
– and Nevada – besides the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas cit ...
. Named in honor of explorer and politician
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...
and located in the heart of the
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
casino corridor, Fremont Street is today, or was, the address for many famous casinos such as
Binion's Horseshoe
Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, formerly Binion's Horseshoe, is a casino on Fremont Street along the Fremont Street Experience mall in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by TLC Casino Enterprises. The casino is named for its founder, Ben ...
, Eldorado Club,
Fremont Hotel and Casino
The Fremont Hotel & Casino is located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, on the Fremont Street Experience. The casino is operated by the Boyd Gaming Corporation.
History
The Fremont Hotel is located on 200 Fremont Street. It was designed by arch ...
,
Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino is located at One Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. A part of the Fremont Street Experience, it is the oldest and smallest hotel (122 rooms) on the Fremont Street Experience.
John F. Miller init ...
,
Golden Nugget,
Four Queens,
The Mint, and the
Pioneer Club.
![Las Vegas Freemont Street](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Las_Vegas_Freemont_Street.jpg)
Prior to the construction of the
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of some ...
, the western end of Fremont Street was the representative scene for Las Vegas that was included in virtually every
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
show and
movie
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
that wanted to depict the glittery lights of Las Vegas. The abundance of
neon signs
In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...
, like cowboy
Vegas Vic
Vegas Vic is a neon sign portraying a cowboy which was erected on the exterior of The Pioneer Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in 1951. The sign was a departure in graphic design from typeface based neon signs, to the friendly and welcoming hu ...
, earned the street the nickname of "''Glitter Gulch''".
Fremont Street is designated between Main Street and Sahara Avenue in a northwest–southeast direction, although auto traffic actually begins at
Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas Boulevard is a major road in Clark County, Nevada, United States, best known for the Las Vegas Strip portion of the road and its casinos. Formerly carrying U.S. Route 91 (US 91), which had been the main highway between Los Angel ...
. At Sahara, it leaves Las Vegas proper and continues as Boulder Highway. Fremont Street formerly carried several national highways, including
U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border north of Eureka in Lincoln Cou ...
(US 93),
US 95, and
US 466. US 93 and US 95 have been rerouted along
Interstate 515
Interstate 515 (I-515) is a spur route of I-15 in the US state of Nevada that runs from the junction of I-11, I-215, and State Route 564 (SR 564) at the Spaghetti Bowl Interchange in Henderson to the junction of I-15, U.S. R ...
, while US 466 has been decommissioned. The section of Fremont Street east of the Fremont East District is currently designated
Nevada State Route 582
State Route 582 (SR 582) is a major highway in the Las Vegas Valley. The highway is the former route of U.S. Route 93 (US 93) and US 95 (and, historically, US 466) before they were moved to the current freeway alignment shar ...
.
Although
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
has been illegal in
Clark County since 1971,
the street has a reputation for prostitution.
History
Fremont Street dates back to 1905, when
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
itself was founded. Fremont Street was the first paved street in Las Vegas in 1925 and received the city's first traffic light in 1931. Fremont Street also carried the shields of
U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border north of Eureka in Lincoln Cou ...
(US 93),
US 95, and
US 466 before the construction of the interstate freeways, including I-15.
While gambling was 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'' on Fremont Street, was closed to vehicle traffic in September, 1994, to begin construction on the
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of some ...
.
Film and media history
* The 1950
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist.
As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...
film ''
Dark City'' features a walk along Fremont Street.
* The 1964
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
film ''
Viva Las Vegas
''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry b ...
'' featured nighttime footage of Fremont Street during the opening credits.
* The 1971
James Bond film
James Bond is a fictional character created by British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. A British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, Bond has been portrayed on film in twenty-seven productions by actors Sean Connery, David Nive ...
''
Diamonds Are Forever'' featured a
chase scene in which
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
, running from Las Vegas police, side-rolls a car through an
alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane ...
exiting onto Fremont Street.
* The 1978–81 ABC television series ''
Vega$
''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Mic ...
'', starring
Robert Urich
Robert Michael Urich (December 19, 1946 – April 16, 2002) was an American film, television, and stage actor, and television producer. Over the course of his 30-year career, he starred in a record 15 television series.
Urich began his ca ...
, had its episode intro, and many scenes, filmed on Fremont Street.
* The 1987 music video for the song "
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album '' The Joshua Tree'' and was released as the album's second single in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band's ...
" by
U2 was filmed on Fremont Street and featured the band members wandering around, while
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
played an acoustic guitar.
* In the 1987 anthology film ''
Aria
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
'', one of the segments involves two young lovers driving down Fremont Street before attempting suicide.
* The second season of the NBC show ''
Crime Story'' (1986–1988) featured Fremont Street in its opening credits, and nearly all the action took place there, as opposed to the Strip.
* 1998's ''
Very Bad Things
''Very Bad Things'' is a 1998 American black comedy film written and directed by Peter Berg in his feature film directorial debut and starring Cameron Diaz, Jon Favreau, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven, Christian Slater, Leland Orser, Kobe Tai and J ...
'' featured Fremont Street in the movie.
* 1992's ''
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
''Honey, I Blew Up the Kid'' is a 1992 American science fiction comedy family film, and the second installment of the ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' film series. Directed by Randal Kleiser and released by Walt Disney Pictures, it stars Rick Moran ...
'' prominently featured Fremont Street in the movie.
* 1992's ''
Cool World
''Cool World'' is a 1992 American live-action/animated black comedy fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt, it tells the story of a cartoonist w ...
'' showed all the animation coming out of the
Union Plaza Hotel and going down Fremont Street.
* In 1994, ''Glitter Gulch'' was featured prominently in the TV miniseries ''
The Stand
''The Stand'' is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which the few survivin ...
''.
* The 1997 comedy ''
Vegas Vacation
''Vegas Vacation'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Stephen Kessler in his feature directorial debut. It is the fourth installment in '' National Lampoon''’s ''Vacation'' film series, and was written by Elisa Bell, based on a story b ...
'' includes a few scenes on Fremont Street.
*
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...
filmed part of their video for "
Do You Realize??
"Do You Realize??" is a song by the Flaming Lips, released as the first single from their 2002 album '' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots''. It is widely considered to be one of the group's most accessible and popular songs. It reached No. 32 in th ...
" in Fremont Street
* In the 2004 movie ''
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'', Steve the Pirate is seen along the Plaza near the
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of some ...
.
* In a 2005 release,
Panic! at the Disco released a song about Fremont Street called "
Build God, Then We'll Talk".
* Fremont Street appears in the 2004 video game
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as "The Old Las Venturas Strip".
* The 2007 film ''
Next
Next may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare
* ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage
* '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film
Lit ...
'' has Nicolas Cage's character entering the Golden Nugget from the
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of some ...
.
* Ice Cube's music video for "Chrome and Paint" took place on Fremont Street, with Ice Cube in a lowrider.
* In ''
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas'', Logan Keller, and his teammates Jung, and Michael infiltrate Fremont Street to find a news van, which they find by going through the maintenance tunnels under the ''Sirocco Casino, '' the game's version of the Binion Hotel and Gambling Hall.
* Heavily referenced in the
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
song "Mr. Siegal".
* Featured at the beginning of the TV series - ''CSI'' season 7 finale episode 24.
* Magician and illusionist
Criss Angel
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos ( el, Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος; born December 19, 1967), known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician. Angel began his career in New ...
has done many demonstrations there.
* Featured in ''
The Real World: Las Vegas'' (2011). Several cast members ziplined across the Fremont Street Experience in an episode.
* The area is featured in the 2013 comedy ''
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
''The Incredible Burt Wonderstone'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Don Scardino and written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, based on a story by Chad Kultgen and Tyler Mitchell, along with Daley and Goldstein. The film ...
'', when a street magician (
Jim Carrey) performs his magic tricks before two of the main characters, played by
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...
and
Steve Buscemi.
* Fremont Street is featured intermittently throughout the 2013 comedy ''
Last Vegas
''Last Vegas'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Dan Fogelman and starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen. Three retirees travel to Las Vegas to have a bachelo ...
'', starting with the main quartet (
Robert De Niro,
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the A ...
,
Morgan Freeman and
Kevin Kline) arriving at
Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel
Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, formerly Binion's Horseshoe, is a casino on Fremont Street along the Fremont Street Experience mall in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by TLC Casino Enterprises. The casino is named for its founder, Ben ...
.
* A destroyed Fremont Street is featured in the 2010 post-apocalyptic RPG, ''
Fallout: New Vegas''. The area is mapped as 'Freeside' and is a slum.
*
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...
filmed a music video for his 2019 songs "
Heartless" and "
Blinding Lights
"Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on November 29, 2019, through XO and Republic Records, as the second single from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The song was written and produced by ...
" on Fremont Street.
Fremont East
![Fremont East](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Fremont_East.jpg)
In 2002 the city of Las Vegas created the Fremont East Entertainment District (FEED), an
entertainment district
An entertainment district is a type of arts district with a high concentration of movie theaters, theatres or other entertainment venues. Such areas may be officially designated by local governments with functional zoning regulations, as well as ...
in the heart of downtown Las Vegas.
[Fremonteast.com: Fremont East Entertainment District (FEED)]
. accessed 5.5.2015 In 2004 the city announced plans to redevelop a three block section of Fremont Street east of the
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of some ...
as an arts and entertainment area within FEED. The $5.5 million streetscape improvement project was a public private partnership with 50% paid by landlords via new businesses and 50% paid with tax dollars as part of a plans to revitalize
Downtown Las Vegas
Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as DTLV) is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the original townsite, and the Downtown gaming area was the primary gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the S ...
. The area was redesigned to increase the draw to downtown, with a compact entertainment area of bars and clubs.
The three-block renovation included pedestrian-friendly street redesign, landscaping, and retro-looking new neon signage. It also included 4 vintage Vegas
neon sign
In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in D ...
s in the street median, built new but reminiscent of classic Las Vegas signs. Fremont East street improvements opened officially in the summer of 2007.
[
Currently, the Fremont East Entertainment District comprises a total of six blocks. The boundaries are from Las Vegas Boulevard East to 8th Street, and then from Ogden Street South to Carson.][ The historic El Cortez hotel and casino are within the district as well as the staple cocktail bar Downtown Cocktail Room. Beyond this district on Fremont businesses include ]The Writer's Block
The Writer's Block is an independent bookseller, publisher, and literacy educator in downtown Las Vegas.
The Writer's Block was established in 2014 by 826NYC co-founder Scott Seeley and Drew Cohen. It was opened with former BSSco. store manage ...
and the bulk of Tony Hsieh
Anthony Hsieh ( ; December 12, 1973November 27, 2020) was an American internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He retired as the CEO of the online shoe and clothing company Zappos in August 2020 after 21 years. Prior to joining Zappos, ...
's Downtown Project.
References
External links
Official Fremont East Entertainment District website
Official Fremont Street Experience website
Living in Las Vegas Podcast: review of the Fremont East District
Fremont Street in 1939
{{coord, 36, 09, 35, N, 115, 07, 07, W, display=title, region:US-NV_type:landmark_source:dewiki
Streets in Las Vegas
Downtown Las Vegas
History of Las Vegas
Landmarks in Nevada
U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 95
Red-light districts in Nevada