The D’s hotel at 301 Fremont Street began as the Sundance in 1980. It later became Fitzgeralds, then took the D name during a major renovation and rebranding in 2012. The changing signs belong to successive chapters of the same hotel and casino.
The Fitzgeralds name and Irish imagery
UNLV’s history dates the sale to Lincoln Management Group and the Fitzgeralds renaming to 1987. The new identity drew on Irish imagery: shamrocks, rainbows, pots of gold and the Mr. O’Lucky mascot. The 2008 photograph preserves that frontage before the later redesign.
The Barden years
Financial difficulties brought another ownership change around the turn of the century. Nevada’s records place Don Barden and the Majestic Star organization in the ownership structure from December 7, 2001. Fitzgeralds remained part of Barden’s business through the following decade, before his estate sold the property to Derek and Greg Stevens in 2011.
A new D identity
The Stevens brothers’ new D identity debuted in October 2012. Architect Gensler describes a property-wide renovation, including guestrooms, public spaces, bars and restaurants. The casino’s two levels deliberately contrasted a modern Art Deco palette downstairs with a Vintage Vegas theme upstairs. The designer’s account includes the Sigma Derby mechanical horse-racing game as part of that original upper-floor concept.
Detroit on Fremont Street
Detroit became another reference point. Stevens is a Detroit native, and the new identity developed alongside restaurants brought from his hometown: American Coney Island and Andiamo Italian Steakhouse. LONGBAR and the outdoor D Bar connected the rebuilt interiors to Fremont Street’s sports-viewing and pedestrian nightlife.
A Belgian connection
A bronze Manneken Pis replica at the main entrance adds a different family connection. The operator says Derek Stevens installed the Belgian figure in honor of his heritage. The replica’s own history should be distinguished from the centuries-old original in Brussels.
One hotel, successive names
The D remains an operating hotel and casino at its established Downtown address. Its Sundance, Fitzgeralds and D phases represent changes of ownership, name and design. They should not be confused with Sundance West, a separate former casino farther along Fremont Street, or with the Stevens brothers’ other properties.
Read the full history ↗ Sources and context
-
Historical background, pages 3–4 (PDF indices 2–3): Sundance in 1980; 1987 Lincoln purchase and Fitzgeralds renaming; Irish theme; Barden and 2011 estate sale to the Stevens brothers; 2012 renovation and rebranding. The guide’s bankruptcy year conflicts with its December 2000 cited report, so no exact filing year is adopted. Land ownership and casino financing are not treated as equivalent.
-
March 3, 2015 report, PDF indices 657–658: 301 Fremont; December 7, 2001 Barden/Majestic Star ownership entries; 2011 estate and DROCK changes. Company name changed November 4, 2011, distinct from the 2012 consumer rebranding. Not the original hotel opening.
-
One-page owner-issued biography prepared before Circa opened: Fitzgeralds acquired in 2011; The D debuted in October 2012; Detroit background, American Coney Island, Andiamo, two-floor concept and LONGBAR. Future Circa plans, room counts, superlatives and present-day Sigma Derby availability are not adopted.
-
Project architect’s account: Fitzgeralds rebranding; modern Art Deco first floor and Vintage Vegas second floor, including Sigma Derby in the original design. Describes historical design, not current machine availability.
-
Project architect describes property-wide Fitzgeralds renovation and rebranding: guestroom and public-space work, bars, two gaming levels and restaurants. Its 642-room scope differs from the operator’s 629-room figure; no room count republished.
-
Operator page read October 19, 2026: active hotel and casino; two levels, LONGBAR, D Bar, American Coney Island and Detroit connection. Entrance Manneken Pis replica installed by Derek Stevens for Belgian heritage. Replica distinguished from Brussels original; claims of only three licensed replicas, the Vegas replica’s age and good luck are excluded.
-
Current operator website read October 19, 2026 confirms active hotel and casino, rooms and dining. No present-day promotion, machine availability, opening hours or price promise republished.
-
OpenStreetMap way 132157010, version 32, full geometry inspected October 19, 2026. Existing point 36.1694974, -115.1429742 is inside the roughly 132×114 metre mapped building. Name, 301 Fremont, former Fitzgeralds name and Q1136654 match. Representative current area, not entrance or historical outline; smoking and wheelchair tags are not used as visitor safety or accessibility claims. OSM data © contributors, ODbL.
-
Own-work photograph by APK, October 4, 2021. Commons author, licence and file history read; Picasa in the EXIF Author field is software metadata, not an alternative creator. Original author-supplied file, 1508×2085 pixels, 737790 bytes; exact stored bytes and pixels verified.
-
D Guisinger, Flickr xbanker photo 2863813824, dated September 16, 2008. Commons reviewer Rootology confirmed CC BY 2.0 on December 3, 2008. Original author-supplied file, 2962×1975 pixels, 3710341 bytes; exact stored bytes and pixels verified. Shows Fitzgeralds before The D rebranding.
1980 identifies the original Sundance hotel era; an exact opening day is not established here. The D’s 2012 debut is a later rebranding, not the original hotel opening.
UNLV dates the Fitzgeralds renaming to 1987; some collector histories use 1988. The account preserves the institutional attribution rather than silently combining the dates.
The archival guide’s bankruptcy year conflicts with the date of its cited contemporary report. No exact filing year is asserted; the regulator’s December 2001 Barden ownership entry is separately verified.
The 2008 photograph shows the Fitzgeralds phase and its earlier signs. It is not presented as the present-day D frontage. The designer’s vintage-casino description refers to the renovation period, not a promise that a particular machine remains available.
