Why urban casinos are the big trend in today ’ s casino market
BY MARJORIE PRESTON
The Provence in Philadelphia incorporates the 87-year-old building that once housed the
Inquirer newspaper .
The potential of casino resorts to transform urban cores has made them increasingly appealing to city leaders . How do these “ metro casinos ” blend into the cityscape ?
In 2011 , when developer Bart Blatstein bought the 18-story offices of the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper and its tabloid sister , the Philadelphia Daily News , his plan to redevelop the property — as a casino complex , no less — was described in the media as “ audacious ,” “ impudent ” and even “ an Icarus-like dream .” And rightly so .
The 87-year-old Beaux Arts-style building , with its distinctive clock tower and gold-tipped spire , is one block from Spring Garden Street , considered the border to North Philadelphia — arguably the most distressed neighborhood in town . For many urbanites , this onetime Brahmin bastion is now synonymous with decline and decay . Crime is such a concern that Temple University , in the heart of North Philadelphia , employs the largest university police force in the U . S . ( and the third largest armed security force in the state ).
What was Blatstein thinking ? For answers , it ’ s helpful to look to another tough Philly neighborhood called Northern Liberties . Since 2000 , Blatstein has invested some $ 100 million around a former Schmidt ’ s Brewery to create the Piazza , a mixed-use commercial-residential development that has turned “ No-Libs ” from a shooting gallery into what the Philadelphia Business Journal has called “ a sought-after address and destination .”
DESTINATION : DOWNTOWN
The idea once was unheard of — casinos as a path to urban renewal . But Philadelphia is just one of a score of U . S . cities turning to gaming halls as a way to revitalize depressed urban cores , add jobs , and not incidentally , stock municipal coffers with fresh tax revenues .
And because these properties are often built on highly developed city blocks , requiring smaller foot-
20 CASINO DESIGN 2013