MICHIGAN CITY, IN | Blue Chip Casino Hotel | HEIGHT | 22 FLOORS - Page 2

Halovet · #21 Posted **Apr 2, 2007, 7:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vito Corleone

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=...gancity-in-usa

Ok, the building page finally updated. Construction was scheduled to start today.

Very impressive indeed. I found these FACTS reguarding the building interesting.

Of cities on Lake Michigan, only Chicago and Milwaukee have taller buildings than this tower.
- In Indiana, only Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and South Bend have taller buildings.
- This will be the third-tallest building in Chicago's suburbs, surpassed only by buildings in Oakbrook Terrace and Itasca.

Chitown · #22 Posted **Apr 2, 2007, 4:17 PM**

So, is this thing under construction or not? If so, this should be moved to the construction forum.

Halovet · #23 Posted **Apr 2, 2007, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitown

So, is this thing under construction or not? If so, this should be moved to the construction forum.

When first posted, construction had not begun. Ground breaking took place a few weeks back, and work is indeed underway. I don't see a real necessity to move the thread, check with Kalmia. They might be game.

Steely Dan · #24 Posted **Apr 2, 2007, 7:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halovet

Of cities on Lake Michigan, only Chicago and Milwaukee have taller buildings than this tower.

- This will be the third-tallest building in Chicago's suburbs, surpassed only by buildings in Oakbrook Terrace and Itasca.

if the rumors surrounding evanston's new big one pan out to be even remotely true, those statements will require some revision

Halovet · #25 Posted **Apr 3, 2007, 11:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

if the rumors surrounding evanston's new big one pan out to be even remotely true, those statements will require some revision

Evenston is much larger than Michigan City, and probably equal to South Bend in size. They should have had a tower a long time ago. Hey, what about Northwestern? don't they have at least one?

Steely Dan · #26 Posted **Apr 3, 2007, 6:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halovet

Evenston is much larger than Michigan City, and probably equal to South Bend in size. They should have had a tower a long time ago.

ummmmmm, evanston already has plenty of highrises, the tallest of which is ~280' tall. i was pointing out that there is a proposal in evanston (a lake michigan city and chicago suburb) that is rumored to be 40+ stories, which would make it taller than this michigan city project and hence the statements would need to be revised.

.... but i wasn't trying to turn it into some competition thing. it's good for michigan city to be getting this kind of development. i've always felt that michigan city is in a good spot to become a midwest version of atlantic city if they play their cards right (pun intended).

kalmia · #27 Posted **Apr 4, 2007, 1:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halovet

When first posted, construction had not begun. Ground breaking took place a few weeks back, and work is indeed underway. I don't see a real necessity to move the thread, check with Kalmia. They might be game.

I think I remember reading that they bagan, but I can't give real up-to-date info on this. I don't go into Michigan City that much. I'm much closer to Chicago.

kalmia · #28 Posted **Apr 4, 2007, 7:47 AM**

There may also be one in Hammond. I would guess that construction won't start on that until 2008 or 2009 though.
I don't think there has really been a formal announcement.

from:http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/200...730075fd19.txt

TG: The only component that's lacking right now is a hotel on property.

RM: In our master plan we have hopes for a hotel tower. It was something I didn't want to consider at this time because of the amount of disruption it would cause. We're looking at putting a hotel where the old garage is. Once this new vessel is in place, access to it will be right off the new garage. Access to the pavilion will still exist through the casino or through the walkway. By phasing it. we don't impact the customer at all.

TG: You make reference to the new facility as a vessel.

RM: It is being constructed as a vessel (in keeping with Indiana regulations) with an investment of millions in engines, but we will not ask it to be certified by the United States Coast Guard. Therefore it will be against the law for us to move it even though it will have the capability to move. We'll maintain it as if we sail it every day.

TG: Will a poker room be part of the new gaming experience?

RM: Yes. The poker room right now sits at about 36 tables and will resemble something similar to what you see at the Bellagio or Wynn (Las Vegas).

There will be a very classic feel and look as it applies to a poker room. It certainly is a perfect marriage with the World Series of Poker.

TG: What are some other highlights?

RM: The second level of the vessel will have a 650-seat buffet in addition to a showroom which will seat 2,500 in a theater configuration, 3,000 for boxing and up to 4,000 for House of Blues-style entertainment. The lower level will be primarily gaming but the increased space will allow us to go from the 2,000 slot machines we have now to 3,200, and our table games from the current 55 to 95, plus the poker room.

Here is an aerial image looking northwest over Hammond toward Chicago. I think you can see where the Horseshoe is.
Those existing structures there are only about 9 or 10 stories.
Michigan City is farther to the east.

(Note: I did not take this. I found it and added the lines and labeling showing the borders.)

ikcyzrteip · #29 Posted **Apr 4, 2007, 1:40 PM**

I think I'll stay there when its finished, I think the view will be nicer than the view at Resorts East Chicago

Mr Roboto · #30 Posted **Apr 4, 2007, 7:45 PM**

22 floors in Michigan City? Thats great. I'll have to take the metra down there sometime and check it out too after its done. Could probably have a decent view of the chicago skyline from the top floor.

Dan in Chicago · #31 Posted **Apr 5, 2007, 7:08 AM**

Those stats on Emporis will certainly be rewritten if the Evanston project goes through - we will keep an eye on it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosier

The US has Las Vegas on the west coast and Atlantic City on the east coast, but no true gambling mecca in between.

Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi is a sizable gambling mecca, although nowhere near as big as Atl City or Vegas. Actually I'm not sure how it's doing since Katrina.

Halovet · #32 Posted **Apr 5, 2007, 10:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

ummmmmm, evanston already has plenty of highrises, the tallest of which is ~280' tall. i was pointing out that there is a proposal in evanston (a lake michigan city and chicago suburb) that is rumored to be 40+ stories, which would make it taller than this michigan city project and hence the statements would need to be revised.

.... but i wasn't trying to turn it into some competition thing. it's good for michigan city to be getting this kind of development. i've always felt that michigan city is in a good spot to become a midwest version of atlantic city if they play their cards right (pun intended).

Last time I was in Evanston, was about 20 years ago. My niece was in her 2nd year at Northwestern. She's a Doctor in PHX now. Goes to show you how things change. I'm sure Evanston has changed as well. Sounds like for the better.

kalmia · #33 Posted **Apr 7, 2007, 1:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan in Chicago

Those stats on Emporis will certainly be rewritten if the Evanston project goes through - we will keep an eye on it!

Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi is a sizable gambling mecca, although nowhere near as big as Atl City or Vegas. Actually I'm not sure how it's doing since Katrina.

Some have been rebuilt. I think some Gulf states legalized land-based casinos after the ones on the water were thrown linland.

There has been some news lately about someone buying the one in East Chicago and expanding it even more. Northwest Indiana casinos are benefitting by the laws in Illinois that limit the size of the casinos. Indiana doesn't; it just limits the number of licenses. They really don't have to be boats anymore, as of recent changes, I think. The new one in Hammond is going to be a building built on 6 barges that will look more like a land based casino.

Halovet · #34 Posted **Apr 7, 2007, 8:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Roboto

22 floors in Michigan City? Thats great. I'll have to take the metra down there sometime and check it out too after its done. Could probably have a decent view of the chicago skyline from the top floor.

It would be great if there we're an upscale Restaurant on the top floor much like The 25th floor Summit Club in South Bend. One could look to the east and see SB's City Center and to the west, Chicagoland. God, I'd love that, and I don't think I'd be alone.

Halovet · #35 Posted **Jun 14, 2007, 9:24 PM**

Blue Chip Casino keeping pace with the times

June 1, 2007

The Northwest Indiana casino gambling landscape will undergo some dramatic changes during the next 12 months. Consider the following developments:

This August, the gigantic land-based Four Winds Casino Resort, a Native American development of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, will open in the far southern reaches of lower Michigan in the town of New Buffalo, just over the Indiana border and 70 miles or so due east of Chicago.

Last April, news broke that Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos Inc. will acquire Resorts East Chicago Hotel Casino with plans to pump $200 million into the property and expand the casino to 4,000 slot machines and 120 table games by 2010.

The new Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. will open in the summer of 2008 with a $465 million facility.

Meanwhile, things aren't standing still at the Blue Chip Casino Hotel in Michigan City, Ind. The new Blue Chip gaming vessel with a spacious 65,000 square-foot casino, the largest in the greater Chicago market, has been open for more than a year and has proven to be a great success for the property's owner, Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming.

When I spoke with the Blue Chip's newly appointed vice president and general manager, Ted Bogich, a 19-year veteran of the casino industry, he revealed construction plans that are already underway will ensure the destination remains a viable force in the intensely competitive market.

"We're getting ready to take yet another step forward in the evolution of this property to a premier gaming destination in this area," Bogich said. "We're looking at taking it to another level with a pretty significant development that includes a 300-room, 22-story hotel. It's going to be a dramatic addition to Michigan City."

The new hotel, Bogich said, "will be at a level which is pretty consistent with our Borgata property in Atlantic City.

"We're also looking at a couple of other components that will be part of that expansion (including) entertainment and things that go beyond just the dining and the gaming."

All 184 rooms of the hotel complex were recently renovated, including a conversion of the eighth floor to suites. By the time the new hotel development opens in December 2008, the accommodations at Blue Chip will increase to nearly 500 rooms.

There's also room for expansion on the gaming vessel, but Bogich feels the existing casino space is sufficient for now.

"We do have the opportunity if we feel there is ever the need to expand and add some gaming one level below our current casino," he said. "We don't have immediate plans to expand to that area but it gives us the flexibility in the future, if we believe the demand is sufficient, for us to be able to do that."

In the face of increased competition and major capital investment on behalf of the owners of neighboring properties, Bogich remains confident about Blue Chip's future.

"We believe we have a beautiful casino that is competitive with anything that is going to be available in this region," he said, "and by augmenting that casino with an expanded hotel product and some of the other features that we're going to be adding to this property, we believe that we will remain highly competitive and a very desirable alternative for people seeking gaming and entertainment in this area."

jbrokopp@comcast.net

Halovet · #36 Posted **Jun 14, 2007, 9:29 PM**

JUST A FEW MILES NORTH OF BLUE CHIP!

Casino Steel signing

NEW BUFFALO - Four Winds Casino Resort marked a construction milestone Tuesday with a steel-signing ceremony and placement of the final 26-ton structural beam.

The Dowagiac-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Lake Entertainment Inc. of Minneapolis commemorated completion of more than 2,000 tons of steel used in making the $400 million Berrien County development for which ground was broken June 3.

Four Winds Casino Resort's last structural beam is hoisted into place Tuesday morning at the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' $400 million development in Berrien County near New Buffalo.
Signatures became a permanent part of the casino as the final beam was hoisted into place by a 110-ton crane atop a six-lane, 90-foot vehicle port which makes the entryway resemble an airport terminal.

"By signing this beam, we are marking the progress of Four Winds Casino in anticipation of its completion next year," said Chairman John Miller. "This is an exciting time for the project because the shape and size of the buildings are now clearly apparent. Our construction team has done an outstanding job keeping on schedule."

The ceremony included the Pokagon Band Elders Council, Lakes Entertainment, members of the construction team, Christman Kraus-Anderson of Lansing, and new casino General Manager Matt Harkness.

Trusses were trundled in on multiple trucks and assembled on site over several weeks.

Alongside the tribal flag and American flag fluttering from a girder was a fir tree.

"To the steelworkers, the tree represents that the structure was developed safely and in harmony with its surroundings and nobody was injured," Miller explained. "This tree will actually be planted in the ground to solidify today's moment when we actually did the signing and set this large final structure of steel."

"Our determined patience and hard work have allowed us to become one step closer to having the casino that will serve as an economic development tool for the tribe and this local community," Miller continued. "There are currently more than 60 tribal members and more than 400 local workers from the region who have been hired to work on this project to date.

"Upon completion in early 2007, 2,100 new jobs will be created as the result of Four Winds Casino," Miller stated. "These opportunities are much-needed in this area. Today represents the completion of the exterior of Four Winds Casino Resort."

Harkness joined Four Winds a month ago, bringing more than 25 years of New Jersey gaming experience, including Atlantic City work for Donald Trump.

"I'm very honored to be here and to be chosen to work with the Pokagon Band," Harkness said. "It offers a venue for gaming patrons that is going to be unparalleled in this area. Aside from that, it's also going to offer opportunity to over 2,000 employees who are going to have jobs. That's going to really benefit the entire local economy. The building of this project is already helping the local economy."

For example, one New Buffalo company has poured more than 300,000 yards of concrete.

If Four Winds, with 130,000 square feet of gaming, was built in Las Vegas it would be second in size to only MGM Grand Casino Resort.

"I look forward to the continued progress of this project, leading up to the casino," Harkness said. "When it's open it will be the premier gaming resort in this area. I'm proud to be associated with the people who are involved in this - the Pokagon Band, Lakes Entertainment and the construction group."

Tim Cope, president of Lakes Entertainment, Four Winds' management company, commented, "This ceremony is really a tribute to the Pokagon tribe and their unyielding determination to prevail in the goal to become self-sufficient.

"This final steel beam, I believe, is a humble reminder of the sacrifice and the patience of those who have made this project a reality that's finally coming to fruition. Thanks to the construction team doing the Four Winds project, we're moving ahead, we're on schedule, on budget and we look to be fully enclosed with the whole project, including the hotel and parking garage, in December. The human resource building, just behind here, will be the first to open Feb. 1. That will be used to start our hiring and training process for the 2,000-plus employees we anticipate will be employed here next August when we open this project. Today really is about anticipation and excitement ... Full speed ahead, and watch out Blue Chip!" - a reference to its Michigan City, Ind., competitor.

Marge Moody, Elders Council chair, said, "Today's the day we've looked forward to where we can become self-sufficient. Four Winds will provide this opportunity. We have long awaited economic development, educational programs and family services to our members. Today's ceremony signifies an exciting milestone that we have looked forward to. Our ancestors held steadfast and wouldn't allow anyone or anything to break their spirit - and I know our Pokagon members will continue to follow on their footsteps. I only wish my brother, Henry White, could be here. He would have been so happy, as well as my mother."

Four Winds is located on I-94 at Michigan Exit 1 in New Buffalo Township.

It will be the only land-based casino within 150 miles of southwest Michigan.

The resort will offer 130,000 square feet of gaming floor with 3,000 slot machines, 90 table games and 20 poker tables.

It will also feature six restaurants, entertainment bars and retail opportunities, making the 164-room suite hotel a destination resort for Midwest tourism.

Four Winds is conveniently located just off I-94 at Exit 1 in New Buffalo, Michigan. The property is 60 miles east of Chicago, 70 miles southwest of Kalamazoo, and 30 miles northwest of South Bend.

Halovet · #37 Posted **Aug 1, 2007, 7:24 AM**

July 30. 2007 6:59AM

Communities hit jackpot with Four Winds casino

Officials: Revenue divided by formula

GAMBLING IN BERRIEN COUNTY

CAROL DRAEGER
Tribune Staff Writer

This is the second of four parts

NEW BUFFALO -- It has the countdown feel of a Harry Potter finale, but the excitement in New Buffalo is not a mystery.

It's Four Winds Casino Resort's grand opening Thursday, ballyhooed on its Web site in days, minutes and seconds.

The first chapter has yet to be written on how big of an economic splash the $400 million development will make on the beach-front community of New Buffalo, population 2,200.

But, last June, as construction began on the 225,000-square-foot facility, Berrien County officials started plugging in their calculators to devise a formula for doling out local slices of the revenue pie.

Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan
Tribune Photos/MARCUS MARTER

New Buffalo, Michigan, pictured Friday, July 20.

Pictured is the beachfront in New Buffalo. Exactly how much the community will get in revenue from the Four Winds Casino Resort is unknown at this time. But the casino will pay local communities at least 2 percent of its net wins from electronic slot machines twice a year.

While precise 2008 casino revenues are about as difficult to predict as a straight flush, what is certain is the percentage of money that the casino's owner, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, is required to give to the county and state of Michigan.

Under a 1997 compact, the state will collect 8 percent and the county and local communities will split 2 percent of the casino's "net wins" from electronic slot machines twice a year.

Revenue Sharing Board

A three-member Local Revenue Sharing Board will distribute the funds. The board is comprised, currently, of a Berrien County commissioner and a New Buffalo Township official.

Next month the board is expected to select a third member from either the city of New Buffalo or a surrounding community.

Using a county-created formula, New Buffalo Public Schools and New Buffalo Township will stand to pocket the most from the board.

Based on an estimated local casino payout of $3.35 million in 2008, the school system would rake in $971,126.

New Buffalo Township would collect about $739,921 and Berrien County would receive $623,908, according to Berrien County Administrator Bill Wolf.

Wolf came up with the $3.35 million figure by projecting that Four Winds may ring up gross revenues of $215 million in its first year.

Using that estimate, slot machine profits (which account for 78 percent of a casino's revenues) would be about $167.7 million.

Under the compact, the tribe is required to pay local units of government 2 percent of that $167.7 million, or $3.35 million next year.

The state would collect $13.4 million.

Four Winds officials have not officially released revenue projections, but its Web site says the tribe will give the state an estimated $20 million and local communities and agencies $4 million next year.

Wolf said the county formula, derived from population data, closeness to the casino, millages and public safety expenditures, was necessary to ensure each taxing unit would be reimbursed for its public safety expenses related to Four Winds.

For example, the Berrien County Sheriff's Department signed a contract with New Buffalo Township to provide five full-time deputies to the township.

Township Clerk Rolland Oselka said funds to pay for the deputies' salaries and equipment will come from Four Winds' payouts to the township.

"Our number one priority is protecting the public," Wolf said, adding, "Public safety is more than just police, it's fire, ambulance, the justice system, emergency dispatch, public and mental health."

Of the 2 percent revenue pie, 45 percent will be doled out to communities based on their public safety expenditures.

Another 45 percent will be divvied out to taxing entities based on their millages, called "payments in lieu of taxes."

They include Lake Michigan College, the New Buffalo Library, and the Berrien County Intermediate school District.

Using the revenue board's public safety formula, New Buffalo Township would receive $699,410 next year; Berrien County would net $347,140; New Buffalo City would receive $204,057; Chikaming and Three Oaks townships would each receive $91,615.

Those public safety funds are in addition to the amounts each taxing body also will collect based on its existing millages.

So while New Buffalo Public Schools won't receive money from the public safety formula, it will receive the lion's share of local casino revenues based on the whopping 18 mills it collects from property taxes.

That was the reason Wolf created the formula.

If millages were only to be used in calculating who gets what, the entities with the highest millages, such as New Buffalo Public Schools, would receive nearly all the revenue proceeds earmarked for the entire county.

"There would be nothing left for public safety," Wolf said.

Four Winds' first payment to Berrien County will be made in December, reflecting gaming operations from August.

The county's share of the payout is estimated to be $104,005.

More giving

In addition to the revenue board funds, tribal leaders set up a philanthropic revenue stream, called the Pokagon Fund, which they said will "enhance economic and civic activities" in the New Buffalo area.

"It's over and above" what the tribe is required to pay out based on the compact it made with the state, Wolf said.

"They didn't have to give that. They're being really good neighbors," said Vickie Wagner, a Pokagon Fund board member and a member of the River Valley School Board in Three Oaks.

The Pokagon Fund will distribute another 2 percent of its net wins from slot machines to surrounding communities for the first two years after it opens.

In the third through fifth years of operation, the Pokagon Fund will pay out 1 percent and in future years, the payout will be 0.75 percent.

Those funds are expected to be given out in percentages to about nine communities and schools from New Buffalo Township and city to River Valley Schools and New Buffalo Schools and the villages of Grand Beach and Michiana Shores.

The Pokagon Fund also will give grants to a handful of other beneficiaries.

Those recipients will be announced in a ceremony in September, Wagner said.

Wolf, meanwhile, said he hopes the casino's revenues are better than expected because the local share will be bigger.

Beyond that, he's betting that Four Winds will be a beacon for tourism.

"In my mind, it's more than just a casino. It's a magnet to bring tourists into a beautiful part of Michigan," Wolf said.

"Let them see our beaches, our wineries

Halovet · #38 Posted **Mar 7, 2008, 11:46 AM**

Blue Chip Expansion Update

West elevation of the new hotel tower. Just finished pouring the concrete for the 18th floor. The curtain wall glass has been installed on the 3rd through 7th floors.

Once complete, the $130 million expansion of Blue Chip Casino Hotel will turn the property into an all-encompassing casino entertainment destination. But business travelers will have a reason to make their way to Michigan City as well, as a new convention center opens its doors at Blue Chip in early 2009.

Blue Chip Casino Hotel’s 20,000-square-foot convention center, slated to open for bookings in early 2009, will offer a wealth of entertainment and business options to area residents. One of the largest such facilities in Northwest Indiana, this multi-function space will be able to accommodate not only conventions and trade shows, but also stage productions, concerts, boat and vehicle exhibitions, weddings and other special events. Combined with the 5,500-square-foot ballroom and three meeting and function rooms at the current facility, Blue Chip will offer approximately 30,000 square feet of convention and entertainment space, in all.

The expansion project also includes a 22-story, 302-room hotel tower, spa and fitness center and restaurant/nightclub. For regional theatre productions and concerts, Blue Chip’s entertainment center will include a sizeable 2,000-square-foot stage with a 46-foot proscenium in its 15,000-square-foot ballroom, which will seat 1,300 people theatre-style. For conventions and exhibitions, the ceilings in the main ballroom, which will measure up to 26-feet high, will accommodate most large-scale displays.

Although the main ballroom at the convention center can seat up to 1,000 guests for a sit-down dinner, the room can be split into six breakout rooms. These rooms, along with four other meeting/function rooms at the center, will range in size from 850 to 2750 square feet.

Structural steel for the new convention center kitchen]

Demolition of the existing porte cochere to perform foundation work for the new porte cochere and restaurant.
[i

ardecila · #39 Posted **Mar 8, 2008, 11:11 PM**

This needs to be moved to the construction forum! For god's sake, it's more than half-completed.

DanteVII · #40 Posted **Apr 12, 2008, 1:13 PM**

I'm new to this site and am enjoying it!!! Just one reply (as late as it is) South Bend is not in Northwest Indiana so Blue Chip Hotel will be the tallest in Northwest Indiana.