“Metal panels and precast stone” are the look of Rivers Casino 3.0, as Rush Street Gaming struggles to find a design that sits well with Schenectady city fathers. The casinos is the $330 million linchpin of a 
$480 million development which includes a rather plain-looking hotel, bike paths and condos. (Design has never been a strong point of Rush Street’s.) Neil Bluhm’s company has endeavored to retool the exterior appearance without changing the casino’s footprint. The modernistic solution it has devised is advertised as an attempt to reflect “new Schenectady.”
“It’s a much more refreshing, modern look. I don’t want to use the word high-tech, but it’s a little bit high-tech, so I think the message is clear. It’s a modern building,” said Rush Street’s Mike Levin, who drew a line in the sand against the possibility of a Rivers 4.0: “we’re very comfortable with this approach and we would hate to go back to the drawing board again.” In other words, live with it. An interim design, described as “homage to the Alco site,” played to poor reviews. Considering the restrictions Rush Street has imposed on itself, I’m not sure they’re out of the woods with the planning board just yet.
* It’s amazing what Chapter 11 has done for Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. (aka “Bad Caesars”). The subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment eked out a $25 million profit last month. It’s also going to avoid a property tax bill in Atlantic City, thanks to the Showboat‘s closure last summer, even though the property was running an operating profit at the time.
