10/22/2026
The Golden Gate Hotel at 1 Fremont Street opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. It has seen every version of Las Vegas — mining supply town, railroad stop, gambling town, tourist town.
In 2012, during a lobby expansion, crews opened a wall between the original 1906 structure and a 1931 addition. Inside the cavity were objects from three different eras.
More historic pieces can be found in Golden Gate's lobby area, including old slot machines from the 1940s through 60s, gaming ledgers, poker chips, chip racks, hotel room keys, guest ledgers and even some old wh***ey bottles from the early 1900s that were found in the walls during renovations.
The bottles were from the pre-Prohibition era, embossed "Hotel Nevada" and "Las Vegas Bottling Works," with corks still in place. They had been tucked into wall cavities during Prohibition when the hotel operated as a "soft drink" establishment that served alcohol quietly. The slot machines were from the 1940s-60s, one-armed bandits with mechanical reels, placed in the wall during a 1955 remodel when the casino went from coin to token.
The Golden Gate is known for preserving its own history. Opening Monday morning, the display gives a visual detail into Vegas's casino history. The exhibit includes a 1930s-era slot machine, an array of Prohibition-era liquor bottles, and a collection of ashtrays and matchbooks.
The hotel's owner, Derek Stevens, who bought the property in 2008, made preservation part of the renovation. Vintage pieces, like ornate mirrors from around the 1950s and an old hotel neon sign, are displayed alongside recreated period furniture.
Verification comes from the hotel's own archives and from Las Vegas Magazine's coverage of the renovation. The wh***ey bottles were dated by glassmakers' marks to 1908-1912. The slot machines had serial numbers matching Golden Gate's gaming license records from 1947.
Why does a wall full of wh***ey bottles and slots matter? Because Las Vegas history is usually told through implosions and mega-resorts. The Golden Gate wall shows the other history — how a small hotel survived Prohibition, the Depression, and the transition from illegal to legal gambling by literally building its past into its walls.
Today the artifacts are displayed in the lobby museum, in front of a historic image of Fremont Street.
If you found a 1906 wh***ey bottle in your own wall, would you open it, sell it, or put it on a shelf?
