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Jonathan Fine stood just across from the stage of Sammy\u2019s Showroom inside the former Harrah\u2019s Reno hotel-casino, the gutted room\u2019s history still palpable despite being a bare-bones shadow of its former self.<\/p>\n Decades ago, the showroom was the stomping grounds of Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr., who performed at the venue that bore his name until 1982. Today, the former Sammy\u2019s Showroom is an integral part of the vision that the Fine Entertainment co-founder and CEO has for a huge entertainment complex inside the downtown Reno property.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an amazing elevator that comes out of the center of the stage that hasn\u2019t been used since the \u201970s,\u201d Fine said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe envision a horseshoe bar at the end of this room with a stage, using all the lighting that they had up there \u2026 and doing some kind of a show that’s live music at night.\u201d<\/p>\n Madison Capital Group \u2014 the new majority owner behind the renovation of the former hotel-casino into a mixed-use commercial and residential space spanning two city blocks \u2014 is banking on Fine\u2019s plans to help the project move forward.<\/p>\n Once named the Reno City Center project, the massive undertaking fell into bankruptcy<\/a> after it failed to reach an agreement with its lender when prospective office tenant Clear Capital backed out of its lease<\/a>. The departure triggered a capital call from one of the project\u2019s lenders, which demanded payment over a $20 million loan.<\/p>\n By February, the project was able to come out of bankruptcy<\/a>, acquiring a new majority owner as well as a new name when it was re-christened as Reno Revival<\/a>.<\/p>\n Through it all, Fine Entertainment doggedly stuck with the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since making his first visit to the property during the pandemic \u2014 Fine Entertainment\u2019s involvement was first teased in 2020 with plans for a \u201cbeer god pub\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Fine has soldiered through meetings held by the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Reno City Council, construction delays and freezes, and the switch in ownership and developers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fine\u2019s decision to stay has come with a cost, literally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are under eight figures, still,\u201d a sheepish-looking Fine said.\u00a0\u201cSo we\u2019ve spent a considerable amount. We\u2019ve made a huge investment and we are going to make a much bigger one.\u201d<\/p>\n Fueling Fine\u2019s investments is the planned 180,000-square-foot entertainment complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n The mammoth endeavor will claim a significant footprint at the former Harrah\u2019s Reno, taking up the first floor of the main tower, the old \u201cbank building\u201d and the basement. The complex will include restaurants, bars, gambling, concerts and other entertainment.<\/p>\n Given the mix of gambling and entertainment, combined with the fact that Southern Nevada serves as Fine Entertainment\u2019s home turf, Las Vegas would seem the likely candidate for inspiration.<\/p>\n Fine, however, pointed to other markets.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re doing what people would consider Las Vegas-style (entertainment),\u201d Fine said. \u201cI think we\u2019re doing a Nashville style, you know \u2014 or an Austin style but with more glam and glitz, and a little bigger than what you\u2019d see in Austin.\u201d<\/p>\n So what exactly does Austin-style or Nashville-style entertainment entail and how does it differ from Las Vegas?<\/p>\n Typically, Las Vegas-style entertainment conjures images of impressive scale and over-the-top extravagance. Think Cirque du Soleil\u2019s Michael Jackson ONE show in Mandalay Bay, the Sphere in Paradise or Las Vegas\u2019 slew of celebrity chef restaurants.<\/p>\n In contrast, the vibe in Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, can be described as energetic but more intimate, revolving around live music, trendy food and drink, and arts and culture.<\/p>\n Fine is aiming for something closer to the latter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re building something for the locals, we\u2019re building something for the college (crowd), we\u2019re building a reason for parents on weekends to stay downtown again (and) visit with their kids,\u201d Fine said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re building a reason for date night to be downtown again.\u201d<\/p>\n Having more family-friendly options \u2014 a longtime request for downtown Reno among locals, along with a grocery store \u2014 is especially important, according to Fine.<\/p>\n Attracting families will help get the necessary traffic to support all the attractions Fine Entertainment is building.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fine Entertainment, for example, offers a summer movie program when school is out that attracts hundreds of people. It also works with high schools for sports tie-ins such as bringing in drum lines during football season. It holds events with mermaids, princesses and bubbles for younger kids.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be the hub,\u201d Fine said. \u201cWe want kids running around the place (because) it activates all the other places.\u201d<\/p>\n Tommy Ahlquist, president and CEO of Boise-based real estate firm Ahlquist, called Fine\u2019s plans a perfect fit for Reno Revival. Ahlquist serves as the master developer on behalf of Madison Capital Group.<\/p>\n Reno Revival will offer a mix of residential, office, hotel and retail space. While it expects to attract a mix of visitors and locals once completed, Ahlquist said, families and younger folks would truly make it a destination for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go to (some of Fine\u2019s) places down in Vegas, it is high school bands and people, families, it\u2019s very much designed around the community,\u201d Ahlquist said. \u201cUntil I saw that in person, I was wondering what this place was going to be. but then I went down and I thought, \u2018Oh, this is perfect.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n So far, Fine Entertainment has confirmed about 10 attractions<\/a> that it plans to build at the former Harrah\u2019s Reno hotel-casino, including several based on its restaurants and bars in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
\nFine Entertainment\u2019s planned entertainment complex at former Harrah\u2019s Reno will echo vibes of Austin and Nashville.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Like Austin and Nashville but with more glitz<\/h2>\n
What does Fine Entertainment plan to build inside the former Harrah\u2019s Reno property?<\/h2>\n
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