| ESa designs Silver
Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis
Construction started in January on
the Mississippi Gulf Coast's Silver Slipper Casino, designed by architectural
firm Earl Swensson Associates (ESa) of Nashville, Tenn. The $50 million
casino development, located on a 30-acre site, is expected to be open in a year.
Located near Bay St. Louis, Miss., the casino will have a four-level riverboat
for gambling and an attached 36,000-sq.-ft. land structure for dining, which will
include a buffet, a bar and entertainment area and a small giftshop. ESa
is redesigning the existing riverboat and designing from the ground up the new
land-based structure. "We're enjoying the opportunity of creating a
new venue in a new location for the namesake of the historic Silver Slipper, one
of the original casinos built on the Strip in Las Vegas," said Ron Lustig,
ESa principal design architect. Designed in a traditional architectural
style, the pavilion's exterior will be constructed in Eldorado manufactured stone
and EIFS (exterior insulated finish system). Continuing the traditional
style, the interior pavilion will have fluted wood columns. Waterjet-cut Silver
Slipper logos will be incorporated into the porcelain ceramic tile floor. The
casual bar is designed with a small stage for three-piece bands and strategically
placed television screens for sports viewing. Leading off the bar is an outdoor
patio overlooking a beautiful white sand beach. A players' club will be
near the boat's entrance on the main level. Memorabilia of the original Silver
Slipper and other early Las Vegas casinos will be displayed on either side of
the ramp leading to the boat. Paul R. Alanis, chairman of Silver Slipper
Gaming, said the Silver Slipper will focus on drive-in markets from southern Mississippi
and southeast Louisiana. Alanis is a former top executive with Horseshoe Gaming
and Pinnacle Entertainment. ESa, established in 1961, provides architectural,
interior design, master planning and space planning design services for clients
throughout the United States and abroad. |