I had a question about the technology of the Fremont Experience. Isn’t it pretty dated now? Any plans for it being upgraded?
Fremont Street honchos are way ahead of you on this one, with all due respect. The Viva Vision Canopy, to use its proper name, was upgraded in 2004. At that time, the light bulbs were switched out in favor of 12.4 million LEDs. For those of you into big numbers, Fremont Street Experience boasts 12,506,112 LEDs containing 16,777,216 colors (who knew there were so many?). It covers 1,366,000 square feet of near-high-definition visual space.
Fremont Street Experience dates back to Sept. 7, 1994, when ground was broken. Technically, the FSE encompasses parts of Fremont Street not under the canopy, hence the Viva Vision Canopy distinction. A public preview of the attraction took place in the waning months of 1995, accompanied by the now-defunct Nevada Symphony. At the time, the canopy was comprised of wedge-based bulbs installed by Young Electric Sign Company, capable of four colors and costing as much as $15 apiece. The bulbs had to be checked on a nightly basis.
The canopy’s first formal light show was held on Dec. 15, 1995. An event stage and installations from the Neon Museum followed. By 2004, it was clear to FSE’s stewards (a consortium of local casino owners) that an upgrade was required, hence the switch-over to less-expensive and more energy-conservative LEDs. The makeover cost: $17 million.
As strange as it may seem now, so accustomed have we become to the canopy, it was hardly the first idea pitched for the site. Steve Wynn reportedly had his heart set on a Venetian canal (he owned the Golden Nugget at the time). According to former Golden Gate owner Mark Brandenburg, Jack Binion told Wynn to hold off a little on that idea.
Prior to that, amusement-park developer Gary Goddard talked the city (and almost talked Paramount Pictures) into a gargantuan replica of the Starship Enterprise that would have dwarfed most of Fremont Street. But Paramount Chairman Stanley Jaffe, seeing a potential white elephant in Goddard’s proposal, nixed it.
The city then handed architect Jon Jerde a blank check (actually it was $900,000) to conceive an entertainment concept for Fremont Street. Jerde deserves the credit for the canopy idea, but his proposed content — an aerial parade — also had too many inherent problems.
So it took four tries to come up with the Viva Vision Canopy, plus one upgrade. Though it might seem dated, as far as we know, it still offers up-to-date technology that's likely to remain in place for some time to come.
