Cast aside your notions of what an American casino is supposed to look like. The New Orleans Harrah's, the only casino located in the heart of a major American downtown, has more in common architecturally with Philadelphia's Kimmel Center than with the frothy confections that dominate Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Similar in size to the Kimmel, Harrah's commands a city block on Canal Street, which holds the same niche in the urban ecosystem as Market Street in Philadelphia. The casino, which suffered little hurricane damage but remains closed, is a short stroll to the French Quarter and the city's gallery district.
Philadelphia is now struggling with the same question that New Orleans faced in the early '90s: Should it locate one of its two, state-mandated slots parlors downtown, just blocks from thriving residential neighborhoods where people still live in 200-year-old homes? A Center City casino would be built on Market Street somewhere between Ninth and 12th Streets, a short walk from Chinatown, Washington Square and Society Hill.
New Orleans' experience suggests that a downtown casino similar to Harrah's could energize Philadelphia's East Market Street retail corridor and give a boost to the historic sites around Independence Mall. Yet Philadelphia and state officials have remained on the fence about a Center City parlor. Time is now running out.
Gaming operators must submit applications on Dec. 28 for the city's two slots licenses. Out of the original field of a dozen gaming companies, just four or five operators remain in competition for the licenses, which the state expects to issue late in 2006.
Downtown or not?
