SIOUX CITY | More than 1.8 million people have entered the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City since its opening nearly a year ago.
The world famous brand has drawn visitors from around the United States, as well as several other countries. A 60-foot-tall replica of an electric guitar, perched on top of one of the city's landmark buildings and visible for miles, helps pull motorists off nearby Interstate 29.
"We're still hearing from people that it's their first time here," Hard Rock Sioux City general manager Todd Moyer said. "We're also seeing people come back again and again."
All the new visitors have generated added traffic and customers for other downtown businesses downtown. One of the biggest beneficiaries has been the Historic Pearl District, which is a short walk up the block from the casino.
Several bars and restaurants have become popular gathering places for casino guests, as well as Hard Rock employees after ending their shifts.
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The 100,000-square-foot Hard Rock complex boasts 839 slot machines and 25 table games, as well as a bevy of non-gaming amenities.
"I think the property provides much more to do than traditional casino gambling," Moyer said. "We have three restaurants, three bars and a very diverse entertainment lineup."
Sioux City, pop. 82,719, is the smallest U.S. city with a Hard Rock-franchised casino or hotel. The next closest is in Tulsa, Okla. (The Sioux City venue is not affiliated with Hard Rock Cafe International, which holds the rights to the famous chain of restaurants.)
The Sioux City property also is believed to be the first Hard Rock to incorporate a historic warehouse in its design. The $129 million project -- one of the largest capital investments in Sioux City history -- included extensive renovations to a four-story structure built in 1906 for a hardware wholesaler.
Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the building is commonly known as the Battery Building, for another previous tenant that made batteries. The Romanesque revival-style brick building is known for such details as a six-story clock tower, rooftop battlements and large arched doorways and windows.
The east side of the Battery Building was connected to a new 58,000-square-foot addition that houses the casino floor, a quick-serve restaurant, called Fuel American Grill, a live entertainment venue and bar called Anthem, and another bar, known as The Yards.
Two more restaurants -- the World Tour Buffet and Main + Abbey -- are on the first floor of the Battery Building. A third bar is at the hotel's front desk.
Anthem, The Yards and Fuel American Grill are open only to customers of legal gambling, age 21 or older. Visitors of all ages may enter the buffet, Main + Abbey and Rock Shop, a retail outlet that offers a variety of Hard Rock-branded merchandise, from T-shirts to collector pins.
The buffet features cuisine from around the globe, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Main + Abbey is described as a convergence of Main Street USA and London's Abbey Road. The 100-seat casual dining restaurant serves a variety of comfort foods from burgers to steaks.
Both restaurants retained the Battery Building's original exposed brick walls and massive tongue-and-grove posts and beams. Exposed wood and brick also are a central element of the decor in the hotel rooms on the fourth and fifth floors. The loft-style suites also boast arched windows that offer scenic views of downtown.
MUSIC FOCUS
Music is ever present throughout the property. Songs from yesterday and today are piped in through the sound system. The walls and glass cases display more than $1 million worth of memorabilia from a host of legendary artists from Elvis and The Beatles to Katie Perry and Sioux City native Tommy Bolin. With access to Hard Rock's vast collection of rock items, the casino regularly rotates its displays.
On the casino floor, support beams boast black-and-white images of legendary rock n' roll stars. An oversized guitar, with wood and metal accents, flashes over the floor, which is also illuminated with decorative light fixtures bearing purple drum sticks.
The floor is covered in purple leopard-patterned carpet accented with blue, gold and brown. Underneath is a state-of-the-art ventilation system that circulates fresh air on the casino floor, where smoking is allowed.
Just off the casino floor is Anthem. With around 800 seats, it's one of the nation's smallest venues to showcase nationally-known artists, Moyer said. In the first year, the Hard Rock is scheduled to host 200 dates of live entertainment, which includes music of all genres, from rock and pop to jazz and country, as well as weekly blues and comedy nights.
In the summer, the Hard Rock hosts concerts and other events in its outdoor venue just north of the Battery Building. The owners recently invested $1.2 million to upgrade the 4,000-seat venue, now known as Battery Park. A summer concert series kicked off Saturday with a performance by 3 Doors Down and Seether.
As part of Sioux City's kickoff to the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, the 1990's-era band Collective Soul will perform at Battery Park this Friday.
Battery Park also will host a number of free events, such as festivals, car shows and movies under the stars.
On days when no event is scheduled, the formerly grassy area, which was paved as part of the recent renovation, will give the casino an additional 125 parking spaces. The casino's existing 840 surface parking spaces have been known to fill up during the busiest nights.
The improvements also include new landscaping, decorative street lamps around the outdoor venue, as well as an expansion of Main + Abbey's outdoor patio.
