Welcome Visitors
Wild Rose Casino
Preview of the Wild Rose Casino
Building on our Heritage
Inspired by Emmetsburg’s rich Irish heritage and
Five Island Lake, the architectural design of the Wild Rose Casino and
Resort will be unlike any other. Pearce Coady, the project architect of
Simonson & Associates, visited Emmetsburg and spoke with local historians.
He was inspired by the local pride in this community and its rich history.
Location
Wild Rose Entertainment and Palo Alto County Gaming Development
Corporation chose to place the resort on a location off the lake. They
understood that preserving Five Island Lake for families and water recreational
opportunities was important to the citizens of Emmetsburg. Access to the
casino and resort will be easy, as it is located on 90 acres of land along
Highway 18, east of Emmetsburg.
Design
Emmetsburg was founded and grew to a county seat and
regional economic power during the heyday of Iowa’s riverboats.
In addition immigrants often came to Emmetsburg via these vessels, and
raw materials were shipped from Emmetsburg to the wider world on these
boats. When working out a theme, Pierce Coady and his team decided to
follow the water theme in another direction.
“As we started laying out the site, we imagined
that the retreat of the glacier also created our prairie pothole lake
and created a sixth island, the island found at our project,” Coady
explained. “Our site has been designed to include an extensive wetlands
and short and tall grass prairie ecosystems, recreating the land found
by the earliest settlers of Emmetsburg,” he added. All of the landscaping
will be done with plant materials native to Iowa.
Entry to the site will recapture the historic approach
to Five Island Lake along a gracious tree-lined boulevard. This boulevard
will be flanked by burr oak trees and fields of prairie wildflowers.
Architecture
The
exterior architectural design takes its cues from the stately masonry
buildings built as Emmetsburg grew into a thriving regional economic hub.
The front of the casino will look like a series of independent three-story
buildings and draws its inspiration from buildings seen throughout downtown
Emmetsburg today.
“Designed for comfort and convenience, the 28,000
square-foot casino will welcome up to 975 guests with a floor plan that
will accommodate growth and expansion,” explained Kevin Preston,
the General Manager of Wild Rose Emmetsburg.
Hotel
The casino will be connected to the hotel by a modern
glass link that allows views through the building to the lake beyond.
The three-story hotel draws direct inspiration from the
former Waverly Hotel in Emmetsburg. The Waverly was an outstanding example
of the grand old hotels of the early 20th century and will be recreated
here to provide resort guests with that same level of ambiance and service.
Its 65 standard rooms and 6 suites will be complemented with a ballroom
that can accommodate 300 guests, a pool, health club and lobby café.
Authentic
Irish Pub
Drawing further inspiration from the community’s
rich Irish heritage, the resort will include an authentic Irish pub that
will seat 205 guests and provide evening entertainment on the weekends.
RV Park
The resort will also include a 100-space RV park, which
fills a gap in local RV capacity.
* permission to use granted from Wild Rose Entertainment.
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