Caesars $500M Virginia Casino Will Preserve Elements of Historic Dan River Mills Factory

Posted on: September 17, 2021, 09:42h. 

Last updated on: September 17, 2021, 01:13h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Caesars Entertainment this week unveiled its casino resort blueprint for Danville, Va.

Caesars Virginia Danville casino resort
A rendering for Caesar’s Virginia in Danville. The $500 million development will pay homage to the property’s importance to the region’s economy during the 1800s and early part of the 20th century. (Image: Caesars Virginia)

The half of a billion-dollar project will result in Caesars Virginia, a casino destination featuring a 500-room hotel, casino floor with 1,400 slot machines and 75 table games, 16-table WSOP Poker Room, a Caesars Sportsbook, a spa, pool, and a fitness center.

The resort, which is being built on the former grounds of the Dan River Mills textile site, will additionally offer 40,000 square feet of meeting space and a concert venue capable of accommodating 2,500 guests.

Caesars’ brass revealed the resort rendering yesterday. The design is set to incorporate the old with the new, preserving elements of the site’s storied past while bringing in casino gambling and entertainment.

“We have the iconic Caesars brand that we have to live up to, and then we have this rich history of Danville, Schoolfield, and the Dan River Mill,” said Robert Livingston, Caesars Entertainment’s senior vice president of development. “We have to blend all these together. That was the big challenge.”

Groundbreaking Development

Caesars Entertainment is embarking on one of the first commercial casino enterprises in Virginia history. Danville was one of four cities that passed a local ballot referendum last fall authorizing a casino resort. Virginia lawmakers and Gov. Ralph Northam (D) passed the gaming bill in 2020 to help aid struggling cities.

Caesars Virginia is reimagining the long deteriorating 85-acre Dan River Inc. textile campus. Initial work will involve demolishing numerous manufacturing structures that once served as the economic heartbeat of the region.

Caesars is committed to honoring the legacy and importance of the grounds.

A focal point of the overall Caesars Virginia concept is the “Three Sisters” smokestacks. The brick chimney funnels that have long towered over the area will remain in place after being refurbished for conservation. The 18-story hotel will stand lower than the three smokestacks.   

Livingston told attendees at the rendering reveal that the major challenge was blending the Caesars brand with the history of the Schoolfield property.

“I think we met the challenge,” Livingston declared.

Region Benefits

Caesars Entertainment tells Danville that its property will accomplish what the 2020 state legislation set out to do: generate economic activity.

Caesars Virginia, the company revealed, will bring 900 construction jobs to Danville when construction begins in December. Once the resort is operational, Caesars says it will need approximately 1,300 people to run the place.

Caesars Entertainment is apparently quite bullish on the Danville and Virginia market. The casino company has greatly increased its investment from its original development agreement with the city. The minimum investment of $400 million has swelled by $100 million, and the 300-room hotel requirement has increased by 200 occupancies.

“Caesars Virginia will be an economic driver for the region, both as a tourist and entertainment draw and through the more than a thousand good-paying jobs the resort will create. The people of Danville have entrusted us to build a world-class resort, and we look forward to proving that trust was well-founded with an incredible resort,” summarized Anthony Carano, president and chief operating officer of Caesars Entertainment.