El Portal Theatre

The El Portal Theatre opened in 1928 on Fremont Street, as the area’s first air-conditioned business, serving as the main multi-purpose venue in Las Vegas for many years, used for film screenings, plays, and high school graduations. Subsequently, the Sky Way Drive-In operated from 1954 to 1981, where the Boulder Station Hotel & Casino is currently located. During the 1950s and 1960s, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters throughout the country, primarily catering to budget-conscious families who might otherwise break the bank at a traditional movie theatre. Both the El Portal and the Sky Way Drive-In are reflective of how venues match the changing needs and tastes of the visitors they serve.

One of Las Vegas’ newest venues, Sphere opened in September 2023. Sphere has recently become an icon of the city, in terms of both entertainment and architectural design. The venue’s dynamic exosphere measures 366-feet tall, and features a 580,000-square foot, fully programmable LED exterior display. With a seating capacity of 17,600, Sphere is the world’s largest spherical structure, and hosts a wide variety of entertainment events from concerts and raves, to film screenings and sporting events. Sphere is indicative of the next era of venue design in Las Vegas, not only transforming the city’s skyline but the nature of performance in the “Entertainment Capital of the World” overall.

As awareness and implementation of urbanism—the study of how humans interact with their built environments—has heightened in Las Vegas, specific areas have experience the so-called “Bilbao Effect.” This phenomenon refers to the construction of an architectural landmark in a city, and the resulting significant revitalization and socioeconomic growth that takes effect. Such could be the case for Sphere or another of the city’s newest venues, Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and host venue for Super Bowl LVIII. This fully enclosed and climate-controlled facility, with a capacity of 65,000 guests, was completed in 2020 on an area off-Strip that once was a vast vacant lot. Today the area is populated with nearby businesses and residences, a real-time response to Las Vegas’ changing landscape of entertainment and culture.