Queen of Terre Haute casino projected cost at $290 million
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The cost of the Queen of Terre Haute Casino Resort is now projected at $290 million, up from $260 million, Ryan Jordan, senior vice president of real estate development for Churchill Downs Inc., told the Indiana Gaming Commission on Thursday.
“We have not made any program changes nor reduced amenities, but we have added amenities…,” Jordan told the gaming commission. “We are exited about it and continue to move forward.”
The casino will have 1,000 slot machines, 34 gaming tables and now will have nine food and beverage venues, including a soda shop based on the iconic Coca-Cola bottle invented in Terre Haute. The casino resort, with a 122-room luxury hotel, is slated to open in March 2024
“That will be refined as we finalize subcontractors in early January, but we feel good about that date,” Jordan said.
However, a new design removes a rooftop pool on the casino resort’s nine-story hotel, and instead relocates the pool into a separate ground level building that can cover a larger pool.
When questioned why the pool redesign, Jordan said Churchill Down’s initial site was on 20 acres on Terre Haute’s south side and “the initial idea was more space-constrained, and that added the amenity [of a pool] on the rooftop. As we got into it, a rooftop pool would be seasonally limited with wind and cold weather,” Jordan said.
With a larger 50-acre site on Terre Haute’s east side, Jordan said “we felt if we moved it and have an in-ground pool … we can make it larger and improve the amenity. At the same time, it was a smaller pool on the rooftop,” he said.
Removing a rooftop pool, Jordan said, allows more space for a bar and lounge with an indoor/outdoor space.
The rooftop area “will have an upscale bar and lounge. We image serving small-plate, tapas-style food, but also provide great cocktails. … This will be a wonderful spot with great views of Terre Haute looking south, north and west. There is an outdoor patio on the west side, so with great weather, people can sit outside with fire pits and heaters,” Jordan said.
Casino to pay for road extension
Additionally, Churchill Downs will pay for and construct an extension of New Margaret Drive along the north side of its property, with signage encouraging motorists to go to the casino along this road instead of along East Margaret Avenue as the main entrance. Access will still be possible off of East Margaret Avenue.
Jordan told the Gaming Commission the city of Terre Haute requested INDOT review the intersection as a condition of building approval, citing a concern of motorists turning off of U.S. 40/Indiana 46 onto East Margaret Avenue.
“So [the city’s] goal was to help direct traffic to not use that and instruct them to use New Margaret.
‘We will install INDOT-approved signage along State Road 46 to really directly people to use New Margaret Drive as the main path of travel,” Jordan said.
“INDOT is looking at other options of how East Margaret would work,” Jordan said.
Entrance to the hotel will be on the southern edge of the property. The eastern side of the building is for employees and service deliveries.
The hotel will have a lobby bar and coffee/breakfast area. To the right side of the lobby is access to the ground-level pool.
Hotel rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass. The hotel also has corner suites on each floor that also have a dining area and bar area. A unique room is the Presidential Suite, a two-bedroom suite on the western side of the 9th floor with a foyer, dinning and bar area and living room area.
The casino will have a high-limit gaming area and VIP lounge. Dining will include a steakhouse, a casual dining area and a grab-and-go food area. An event center is accessible off the hotel lobby as well as from the gaming floor.
The casino’s “Crossroads Sports Bar” will have larger screens and have two viewing areas. “Anybody on the gaming floor, whether at tables or slots will be able to see sports content or other great content on the video screen. But if you are in the sports bar itself, a few steps up to the elevated sports bar platform, there is also a video screen on the inside as well,” Jordan said.
Additionally, an outdoor gaming area will have slot machines “in an outdoor environment. It is covered and secured but will have louvers on the perimeter of the building so it allows fresh air to come in and out of the building to allow guests to have a feeling of being outside, and they may smoke and game,” in that area, Jordan said.
