Roc Nation, the entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z, is the latest partner to support a proposed casino at 1515 Broadway in Times Square, Manhattan. The project, currently known as Caesars Palace Times Square, was first announced by developer SL Green and Caesars Entertainment and could provide billions of dollars in tax revenue to New York City and New York State.
The proposed development site is currently occupied by a 54-story office tower with frontage along 44th and 45th Streets. Building tenants include Viacom’s global headquarters and the Minskoff Theatre where The Lion King Broadway musical has shown for 25 years.
Caesars Palace Times Square would reportedly occupy the lower eight floors of the building, while an 800-key hotel would complement the casino and occupy the floors above. Additional components would include multiple restaurants and entertainment venues with programming provided by Roc Nation.
Additional details on the project are slim.
“There’s no better partner than Jay-Z and Roc Nation to help Caesars Palace Times Square ensure that Times Square remains a global entertainment hub and an economic engine for New York,” said Marc Holliday, chairman and CEO of SL Green. “Together, we will bring the nearly 130 million annual pedestrians a stronger and more exciting Times Square to visit, reunifying the bow tie around a new set of innovative programming that will appeal to New Yorkers and tourists.”
Caesars Palace Times Square is one of a half-dozen teams bidding for New York city’s first full-scale casino. The Real Deal reports that New York State is expected to issue a formal request for proposal for a New York City casino in January 2023.
According to the project team for Caesars Palace Times Square, the bid is supported by a broad coalition of Times Square stakeholders representing construction labor, Broadway labor, restaurants, hotels, small businesses, theater, and local residents. AKRF, a New York City-based engineering and developer consulting firm, projects an annual increase of seven million new visitors, should the casino be approved.
“We have the opportunity to create a destination at the heart of Times Square, the true crossroads of the world,” said Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. “My partnership with SL Green and Caesars, this coalition, has all the promise and commitment to economic opportunity, growth, and enrichment for the community, and everyone who visits the Empire State.”
A representative for the project declined to offer any additional details regarding proposed programming or release any renderings of the Caesars Casino.
“Times Square has been the heartbeat of American Entertainment for over a century,” said Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “Through our shared vision, we will build a world-class destination specifically designed to complement and elevate today’s Times Square experience, ensuring it remains a magnet for visitors and a hub of creativity for years to come.”
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Just what Times Square needs; a casino…
I hope this things ends up in fresh kills.
This would be excellent.
Times Square is already an entertainment district and a casino would give people a place to go late nights besides walking up and down Broadway. The nightlife on Times Square itself is lacking, hopefully this place would be 24/7 like in Vegas.
NYC also needs to do away with the 4 AM alcohol business curfew in this area.
There is zero retail in the rendering intended to make me excited about this proposal.
Times Square is all about street scene, and this development would be a dead zone for a full block face. Casinos designs are meant to keep people inside, and not integrate with the surrounding environment. This is why they are windowless boxes wherever they are placed. Times Square would be the worst place to put a casino from an urban planning perspective, not even getting into the seediness that it will bring to the area.
You really should read the SL Green sales pitch. It’s actually the opposite of all those worries. I think the project is quite promising and they seem to understand how to do it in TS.
The render is not the final. There will likely be multiple entrances and retail facing the street.
Desperate people putting there last dollar into slot machines is not what is needed for Times Square. We already have too many hucksters and adding a corporate one only adds to what is already bad about the area.
People should go over to the Skyscraperpage Forum for a ton more info including renderings. “New York Casino”.
Where are all the current office occupants of the building going to go? Who says they weill sell the building to Caesar’s?
SL Green owns the building. Paramount is the biggest tenant. Its unclear whether they would stay or move if a casino and hotel becomes part of the building.
What would happen to the Minskoff Theater???
Nothing
More yucky people for Times Square makes sense. But “billions” in new taxes is a joke.
This is a bad idea. Times Square is already attracts crowds of frightening and seedy people and this is only going to make things more dangerous. This will do nothing to enhance the immediate surrounding area—including the Theater District. It only make it more unsafe. Hopefully it is Dead on Arrival.
A casino? Oh dear.
Totally fine with this, SL green can move the Viacom folks to one of their many many buildings and another hotel here is not a bad thing. This will bring the city a ton of revenue. I’d love to see another one by Citifield and one on Coney