MICHIGAN CASINO RESORT
EXPANSION-RENOVATIONS COMPLETE; NEW ADDITIONS REPRESENTATIVE OF
NATIVE TRIBAL CULTURE
MANISTEE, Mich.,
July 15, 2008 –
The Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan, has officially
re-opened after significant exterior and interior expansions and
additions. The resort’s owner, the Little River Band of Ottawa
Indians, appointed TBG, one of the nation’s top landscape
architecture and planning firms, to provide site planning and
landscape architectural services. Alpena, Michigan-based DeVere
Construction Company, Inc. served as the general contractor, while
Memphis, Tennessee-based Hnedak Bobo Group, Inc. served as the
project’s architect.
The
project team’s design goals were first and foremost to utilize a
design style that was representative of the Ottawa tribe’s native
culture, to make seamless transitions between the resort’s interior
and exterior and to create abundant passive activity space. The
casino resort, located in one of Michigan’s most scenic areas,
originally opened in 2003 with 200 rooms, but due to its growing
popularity and close proximity to major metropolitan areas, the
resort was in need of a considerable expansion and exterior
renovation.
Highlights of the resort’s massive renovation include its
stone-and-water-themed interior and exterior, which are
interconnected with “all-season” spaces. For the exterior, TBG
designed a Winter Garden, that features a waterfall, river, bridges,
an outdoor bar area with heated floors, a giant fish tank and a
70-foot glass ceiling. An outdoor courtyard with three fire pits -
symbolic of the three tribes of the Ottawa Indians - is surrounded
by nine arching column formations, representing the nine original
chiefs of the Ottawa Indians. In addition, significant native plants
including ferns (Ottowans used to cook the fern’s rhizomes, then
peeled and ate them or pounded the starchy fiber into flour) and
birch trees (Ottowans used the birch bark for the construction of
canoes, tents and huts) are planted throughout.
The
resort’s interior renovations also feature unique cultural amenities
that are indigenous to Michigan and inspired by its native origins.
Little River Ottawa tribe members descend from villages located on
the Manistee River and Pere Marquette River in the upper Michigan
peninsula, so an indoor courtyard/garden space was implemented that
features waterfalls with rock work that mimic specific waterfalls
from those rivers.
A new
14,000-square-foot, 1,675-seat event center was also constructed,
where A-List performers are already scheduled to perform. Located
just outside the event center’s breakout area is a curved waterwall
with a rockscape, which helps prevent event center noise from
spilling out of the venue, yet still gives spectators the illusion
of being outside. Natural stone was used for the walls, and is
detailed such that it appears handcrafted and hand-laid, connecting
architectural elements with artisan styles – giving the entire space
a craftsman-style feel.
Another
unique attribute of the casino resort is the lobby and central
gathering space, which resembles a turtle, which is a sacred animal
in Ottawa’s legend of the creation. TBG researched the exact number
of markings for the turtle, with each resulting number and pattern
detail referencing Ottawa cosmology, including the lunar cycle and
specific stories of the tribes’ creation.
About TBG
As Texas’ largest landscape architecture
and planning firm, TBG designs mixed-use and residential
communities, corporate campuses, civic buildings, hotels, resorts,
healthcare and educational facilities, city parks and historic
sites. With 29 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, TBG works to
incorporate sustainable design principles into each project.
Established in 1987, TBG is now staffed by over 130 professionals in
Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. For more
information, please visit
www.tbg-inc.com.
About Little River Casino Resort
Little River Casino Resort is owned and operated by
the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. It opened in the summer of
1999 with 600 slot machines. Its growth has been swift along with
its dedication to making the Little River Casino Resort a fun and
exciting gaming experience, and a premier destination. Since 1999,
Little River has expanded from 600 to more than 1300 slots, 28 table
games, a dedicated poker room, three restaurants with varied styles
of dining choices, and a beautiful 292-room luxury Hotel. The most
recent expansion is represented in the 1600 seat Event Center called
Mawkwa Endaat or in the Ottawa language, "The Bear Den". For more
information, visit
www.littlerivercasinos.com
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