A giant of the casino architecture field, Joel Bergman, passed away last week at the age of 80. Bergman worked for Steve Wynn for 16 years, responsible for the designs of the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City.
“He is what we consider the originator of the modern-day casino,” said casino architect Paul Steelman, who was Bergman’s friend and former employee. “There’s approximately 30 casino sites on the Strip and Joel designed more than one-third of them.”
Some of his credits include Paris Las Vegas, the Signature towers at MGM, Trump International, and much of the additions to Caesars Palace over the years.
He founded Bergman, Walls & Associates in the late 1980s, with partner Scott Walls, also a former Wynn employee. His sons Leonard and George now operate the business.
Bergman received the Sarno Lifetime Achievement for Casino Design in 2006 from GGB Magazine.
