EwingCole, an award-winning, international architecture and engineering firm based in Philadelphia, has designed a new Casino for Hialeah Park Race Track. This is the first project of a master plan developed to revive the historic racetrack. EwingCole’s renderings of the new facility were revealed at a groundbreaking ceremony in Hialeah, Fl. It is expected to open in the fall of 2012.
“We worked closely with Hialeah Park’s owner John Brunetti, Sr. to develop his vision for a comprehensive entertainment resort that supports the rich tradition and revitalization of the entire 200-acre Hialeah Park property and the entertainment industry in Florida,” said Donald Dissinger, AIA, lead architect and principal of EwingCole’s sports & entertainment practice. “The plan includes preservation of the historic buildings and gardens, the reconstruction of the backstretch facilities and the creation of an urban entertainment district including development opportunities for racing, gaming, resort and business hotels, retail and restaurants and a metro rail station and business complex for the City of Hialeah.”
Hialeah Park, from its inception, was a destination experience in a lush landscape, a place for anyone to spend the day at the races, enjoy the palatial surroundings and get away from the everyday hustle and bustle. The history of Hialeah Park has been an evolving story, and the new Casino development is a contemporary interpretation emphasizing Hialeah’s unique sense of place. The overall design pays homage to the venue’s horseracing heritage, historic landscaping and draws on the existing French Mediterranean architectural style created by Lester Geisler, the young protégé of society architect Addison Mizner.
This project includes the renovation of the existing north Grandstand Building and the construction of a two-story addition, a porte-cochere and a network of covered arcades and elevated terraces surrounding the revitalized historic paddock and Flamingo Fountain garden. The 180,000-sf addition includes a 1,250 slot gaming floor, a poker mezzanine with 36 tables, a 90-seat casino lounge and a 180-seat dining village.
“To allow guests the opportunity to enjoy the tradition and grandeur of Hialeah Park, the master plan and design includes amenities that encourage a new generation of patrons to return to Hialeah Park again and again and linger after the races have concluded,” explained Dissinger. “The revitalization of Hialeah Park will once again contribute to the legacy of destination entertainment resort experiences seen throughout Florida and will provide financial and economic growth for the City of Hialeah, Dade County and the State.” BD+C
Related Stories
| Aug 30, 2013
Modular classrooms gaining strength with school boards
With budget, space needs, and speed-to-market pressures bearing down on school districts, modular classroom assemblies are often a go-to solution.
| Aug 30, 2013
Local Government Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest local government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 30, 2013
A new approach to post-occupancy evaluations
As a growing number of healthcare institutions become more customer-focused, post-occupancy evaluations (POE) are playing a bigger role in new construction and renovation projects. Advocate Health Care is among the healthcare organizations to institute a detailed post-occupancy assessment process for its projects.
| Aug 29, 2013
First look: K-State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium expansion
The West Side Stadium Expansion Project at Kansas State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium is the largest project in K-State Athletics history.
| Aug 27, 2013
Industrial Sector Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest industrial sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 26, 2013
What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets
BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets.
| Aug 26, 2013
Chicago Bears kick off season at renovated Halas Hall
An upgraded locker room, expanded weight room, and updated dining room with an outdoor patio greeted the Chicago Bears when they arrived at Halas Hall for practice this month. The improvements are part of a major expansion and renovation of the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., completed by Mortenson Construction in less than seven months.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 22, 2013
Warehouse remake: Conversion project turns derelict freight terminal into modern office space [slideshow]
The goal of the Freight development is to attract businesses to an abandoned industrial zone north of downtown Denver.
| Aug 21, 2013
AIA: Architecture billings on the rise in July
The Architecture Billings Index for July was 52.7, up from a mark of 51.6 in June. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).