Question of the Day - 11 June 2025

Many observers, including us, have wondered exactly that since 2002. We've tackled this question in various facsimiles over the years and the answer is always the same: a combination of an unfortunate design, an unstable tenant base, a lack of cross-promotion to leverage the popularity of the Fremont Street Experience, a succession of owners, poor management and the concurrent pernicious development decisions, and a basic lack of destination appeal. 

Other than those, the place is doing just fine. Kidding.

Frankly, nothing more needs to be said, though we'll say more anyway, 'cause that's the way we roll.

When Neonopolis opened in May 2002 at a cost of $100 million, it was an almost immediate failure, an ill-designed hulk of a mall (from the outside, it looks more like a bunker) that was intended to diversify downtown's appeal. It was far less than full with tenants when it opened and those who were there soon fled or went under.

Only four years later, it was sold to a second group of dreamers for $25 million, but they quickly got into trouble. The mall was briefly rebranded as Fremont Square, but after temporarily closing in 2010 for redevelopment, then undergoing renovations and reopening in 2011 with mostly new tenants, the original name was resurrected. But it still never caught on.

The layout and lack of inviting aesthetics make it less appealing than the vibrant Fremont Street Experience and its location at the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard, though central, is mostly hidden to street view, which deters foot traffic.

The high turnover of tenants creates a kind of ghost-town atmosphere, further discouraging visitors. 

And the whole concept, a family-friendly non-casino mall on Fremont Street is, we dare say, misaligned as an alternative to the nearby gambling and nightlife, which is what the people want.  

Neonopolis has shown some signs of resilience in recent years, with longer-lasting tenants like Heart Attack Grill (since 2011) and Denny's, and newer tenants such as Fat Sal's and Notoriety and Aero Vegas still, after a more than a year, threatening to open. But the bottom line, unfortunately, is that its reputation as a quasi-dead mall persists due to persistent vacancies, its hulking presence, and its inability to fully capitalize on its prime location.