Creek Casino Montgomery in Alabama will be renamed Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Montgomery after its million renovation is completed by the end of the year. Managed by Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority on behalf of the Poarch Creek Tribe, operating as PCI Gaming Authority, Phase I of the will include a gaming floor with more than 2,200 machines, a blues club and back-of-house operations. Phase II will include a four-story, 123-room luxury hotel.
The tribe currently operates a 46,000 square foot casino at the site, and also owns the Wind Creek Casino & Hotels in Wetumpka and Atmore.
CIEDA President and Chief Executive Officer James T. Martin said, “We have the distinct pleasure, under the direction of Tribal Council, to design and manage construction projects for the tribe. While utilizing Native American contractors wherever possible, we have to date successfully executed over a half billion dollars in commercial construction, and have plans for even more in the future.”
Jim Angus, construction project controls manager at CIEDA, said to prepare for construction, about 67,000 square feet of casino floor, administration, kitchen and back of house/service areas had to be demolished, which took four weeks. Angus added, “The whole area is archeologically sensitive, as far as buried artifacts, etc. We didn’t want to dig down into the dirt. We wanted to stay above grade. We actually raised the building up on top of fill to preserve the historical significance of the site.”
The project has created about 200 construction jobs and 60 permanent jobs. About 170 more employees will be added, including hotel staff, new operations management and valet parking attendants.
Beale Street in Memphis will provide the casino’s new theme. “The idea was that once you enter through the porte-cochere and come inside the building, it’s as if you are entering the corner of Beale Street and Second Avenue,” Angus said. Casino Property Manager Jake Carlton added the property will feature Lucille’s Eatery, “named after B.B. King’s beloved guitar. That fast-casual spot opened in January. Now, with the introduction of B.B. King’s Blues Club and Restaurant, we have a major entertainment and food venue. This just gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to someone who was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, blues legends ever. If you’ve never seen Beale Street in Memphis, there are some unique entertainers. You’ll have that aspect of Beale Street recreated right here. It’s something unique to the city of Montgomery. It’s not the same as what our other properties have become.”
The only federally recognized Indian tribe in Alabama, the Poarch Creek Indians for 200 years have lived in and around their reservation in Poarch, Alabama, eight miles northwest of Atmore and 60 miles east of Mobile.
