“ To restore a building like this to the standard we brought it to is a very difficult timeline ,” Keating said . “ We had a great team of engineers and vendors , and once we got the shell completed we went to Vegas and found a great architect and interior designer .”
The result is a beautiful , welcoming casino that is as opulent of a casino as you will find . Keating called the design “ over the top ,” pointing to an art piece that hangs from the Adams room ceiling on the second floor of the building , which he says captures the history of the town . The piece has 350 chains gilded in three colors of Black Hills Gold .
The first level of the hotel is home to the players center , a bar , over 100 slot machines , a free beverage nook and some of the friendliest employees you ’ ll find . The second floor , which opened last March , has the casino ’ s table games — Blackjack , Three Card Poker , Texas Hold Em , etc .— as well as its live sportsbook . Level three and level four are now The Landmark ’ s 30 freshly-renovated hotel rooms that only recently opened . Knowing the town needed more food experiences , the Keatings joined forces with the venerable Cheyenne Crossing Restaurant to open up a branch restaurant on the site , Dave ’ s Deli by Cheyenne Crossing . A potential Asian restaurant on the site is also in the works . The building also offers a rooftop deck .
The aforementioned Adams room is a nod to W . A . Adams and all he did for Deadwood , and is a place visitors to The Landmark can sit , relax , have a drink , have a conversation and even enjoy some live music from time to time .
“ That ’ s how I grew up in the ’ 70s , and you know , we ’ re bringing that back , bringing people together to talk instead of looking at our phones ,” Keating said .
Since the Keatings arrived in South Dakota in May of 2020 they have invested $ 70 million in multiple projects , including The Landmark , Deer Mountain Village , which is a private adventure community , and Three Peaks Ranch , which is another housing project that overlooks Spearfish . Adjacent to that is Spearfish Mountain Ranch , another housing development , and there is also Wildflower Estates . The Keatings also purchased some commercial buildings that they improved and then sold around the Hills .
“ It ’ s been a very busy 48 months , and we ’ re happy that all of our projects were completed by December ,” Keating said .
Keating points out The Landmark is not Main Street Deadwood , saying its target market is age 40 and up as well as people who want to have a great experience and be treated with respect . To that end , Keating said , the employees are of the highest level in Deadwood and are focused on providing the greatest experience . The casino ’ s general manager was handpicked from Las Vegas and brings with him decades of experience in providing the top-notch customer experience Keating wants everyone who steps foot in The Landmark to enjoy .
Even the bathrooms are the pinnacle of posh . Keating says he feels you can tell a lot about a person or business by stepping into their bathroom .
12 Down Country Roads March / April 2025