The History
Before the Strip, before the Rat Pack, before the mob turned Las Vegas into a gambling empire — there was the Golden Gate. Originally opened as Hotel Nevada on January 13, 1906, this small downtown hotel was built at 1 Fremont Street, on the corner where Las Vegas was born. The city had been founded just the year before, when 110 acres of desert scrubland were auctioned off beside the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad tracks. Hotel Nevada was one of the first permanent structures in the new town.
The hotel had a ground-floor saloon, a handful of guest rooms upstairs, and the first telephone in Las Vegas — telephone number 1. In those early years, Las Vegas was a dusty railroad stop with more saloons than residents. Gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931, and the hotel added a small casino. It was renamed the Sal Sagev (Las Vegas spelled backward) in 1931, and finally became the Golden Gate in 1955. Through every transformation, the building at 1 Fremont Street endured — a stubborn survivor in a city that tears down its history as fast as it builds it.
What Made It Famous
In 1959, the Golden Gate introduced what would become its most famous attraction: the 99-cent shrimp cocktail. A generous tulip glass overflowing with bay shrimp and cocktail sauce, served at the hotel's deli counter for less than a dollar. It was a loss leader, a way to lure people into the casino, and it worked spectacularly. The shrimp cocktail became a Las Vegas institution — one of those things you simply had to try when you visited downtown. Over the decades, the Golden Gate served over 35 million shrimp cocktails. The price eventually crept up to $1.99, but the tradition endured.
What makes the Golden Gate truly remarkable isn't any single gimmick — it's the sheer sweep of history it has witnessed. This one building has been standing on Fremont Street since before Nevada legalized gambling, before Hoover Dam was built, before the Air Force base brought the military to town, before Bugsy Siegel dreamed up the Flamingo, before the Rat Pack played the Copa Room, before Howard Hughes bought the Desert Inn, before Steve Wynn built the Mirage, and before the mega-resorts turned the Strip into a theme park. No other building in Las Vegas can make that claim.
The hotel was renovated in 2012, adding a modern tower with updated rooms while carefully preserving the original 1906 building. The owners understood something that many Las Vegas developers don't: that in a city obsessed with the new, there is tremendous value in the old. The Golden Gate's original brick walls, its Fremont Street location beneath the Viv Vision canopy, and its unpretentious casino floor give it an authenticity that no billion-dollar resort can replicate.
Key Facts
Telephone Number 1
The Golden Gate had the first telephone in Las Vegas, assigned the number 1. In 1906, there was no one else in town to call — but the hotel was ready when the city caught up.
The Shrimp Cocktail
Introduced in 1959 at 99 cents, the Golden Gate's shrimp cocktail became the most famous food deal in Las Vegas. Over 35 million have been served. It's now $1.99 and still going strong.
119 Years & Counting
Open continuously since 1906, the Golden Gate has survived Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II, the mob era, the corporate era, and the mega-resort era. No other Las Vegas hotel comes close.
1 Fremont Street
The hotel's address is literally where Las Vegas begins. Fremont Street was the city's original main drag, and the Golden Gate has anchored it since the street was still unpaved dirt.
Visiting Today
Plan Your Visit
Address: 1 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Status: Still open. Recently renovated with modern rooms while retaining original historic character.
What to See: The original 1906 building, the casino floor, and of course the famous shrimp cocktail (now $1.99). The hotel sits at the entrance of the Fremont Street Experience, beneath the massive Viv Vision LED canopy.
Nearby: The El Cortez Hotel, Binion's (formerly Binion's Horseshoe), the Four Queens, and the Fremont Hotel are all within a few blocks on Fremont Street. The Mob Museum is a short walk north on Stewart Avenue.
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