Check out what downtown Las Vegas used to look like
By Kristen DeSilva
reviewjournal.com
Downtown Las Vegas was Las Vegas before Las Vegas was technically “Las Vegas,” with Fremont Street dating back to 1905. In the 110 years since, the street and surrounding area has seen a lot of change.
Fremont Street was once the center of Las Vegas’ universe, long before the Strip ever came to be. Although a few things have made it through the years with minimal change — the Western Hotel sign, the El Cortez hotel-casino and the Plaza Hotel — many casinos and businesses have come and gone.
One of the more notable changes to younger Las Vegans or recent transplants is the Fremont Street Experience canopy, which was built in 1994. Prior to that, the “Glitter Gulch” was a vehicle-accesible road like any other.