Rising above Interstate 5 in Tacoma, Washington, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ glamorous new Emerald Queen Casino is about to become an entertainment mecca that will beckon drivers to experience a bit of Las Vegas, Pacific Northwest-style. The Emerald Queen’s journey to star status began as a modest bingo hall built in 1992. The tribe presented an update on the USD 370 M Emerald Queen Casino project to the Tacoma City Council on Tuesday, stating it will open along Interstate 5 in 2019. P uyallup Tribe is building a new mega-casino worth approximately $370 million, the Emerald Queen Casino. Emerald Queen Casino is the first of its kind to build above ground spanning multiple sites and streets. Celebrating Culture within Design Emerald Queen Casino brings the glitz and glamour of a Las Vegas-style resort to the Pacific Northwest, while paying homage to Puyallup Tribal culture. The Emerald Queen’s journey to star status began as a modest bingo hall built in 1992. But the Tribe had a grander plan—an unrivaled entertainment destination in the greater Seattle metro area including a hotel, casino and event venue. In the summer of 2018, construction began on a brand-new $310 million casino scheduled to open in December. Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, WA. 51,470 likes 396 talking about this 190,133 were here. The Entertainment Capital of the Northwest.

Puyallup Tribe’s New Emerald Queen Casino

Posted on: January 30, 2020

Puyallup Tribal News staff writer

The sounds of construction – deep rumbles, clanks and beep-beep-beeps of heavy equipment – are happening outside the Puyallup Tribe’s new Emerald Queen Casino.

Inside the building, the noises are a little more muted – zings of drills, swishes of furniture moving furniture and spritzing of cleaning bottles.

Crews are knocking out punch list items for the Puyallup Tribe’s new 310,000-square-foot casino, which is set to open soon.

Emerald Queen Casino Construction Update

How soon? Tribal officials aren’t quite ready to give an opening date. Right now, it’s “early 2020.” As with any major construction project, equipment tests, final permits and many other details will play into the new casino’s opening day.

The Puyallup Tribal News recently took a hard hat tour of the site, led by Emerald Queen General Manager Frank Wright.

“There are very few casinos, even in Las Vegas, that are nicer than this one,” he said.

Located at 2920 East R St., Tacoma, Wash., the nearly $400 million facility boasts glamour, glitz and state-of-the-art technology. It is projected to pump $1.5 billion into the local economy during the next decade.

“The casino will be a vibrant touch to this whole city,” said Puyallup Tribal Vice Chairman Bill Sterud. “We are turning it into a tourist destination.”

The casino was designed by Cuningham Group Architecture, and general contractor Absher-Kitchell is overseeing construction. The Wenaha Group is serving as the owner’s representative.

The casino will feature:

Five restaurants, including a small café, a fine dining restaurant, a buffet, a coffee shop, and a sports bar. The restaurants are named the Summit Sports Bar, the Riverbank Buffet, the Waterway Deli, puyaləpabš café and the Paddle Wheel Coffee & Bakery.
Puyallup tribal member traditional and contemporary artwork, including murals, paintings and architectural elements featuring Coast Salish design.
A 2,000-seat, 21,000-square-foot concert venue and event center.
Environmentally friendly building elements. For example, the concrete that was used contains a recycled material that was diverted from landfills, and the building was designed to meet or beat the state’s energy code requirements. One of the biggest ways the building is reducing its carbon footprint is through its state-of-the-art HVAC system. The system is designed to take advantage of natural air flow and movements, so it removes smoke from the building without using as much energy as a traditional HVAC system.
An enormous LED screen, visible from Interstate 5. The screen is 32 by 147 feet.
Parking galore. In addition to a four-story parking garage attached to the casino, the tribe is building parking for an additional 700 vehicles in the adjacent 150-200-room hotel that’s under construction next door. (The hotel is set to open in mid-2020.) Both garages will have a total capacity of more than 1,300 vehicles.

Planning and infrastructure work for the Puyallup Tribe Emerald Queen Casino began 15 years ago, Wright said.

“We could have jumped in and built this casino a lot earlier but we wouldn’t have been able to build something as nice,” he said. “We stayed in a tent quite a few years and made a lot of money so we could prove to the lenders, the banks, that we had the ability to run a big operation.”

With two locations in Fife and along Interstate 5 in Tacoma, the Emerald Queen employs nearly 2,200 people. The new casino is expected to generate about 230 more jobs, and the new hotel is expected to add 35 jobs.

The new casino will replace the current Tacoma I-5 casino, which is a former bingo hall with three large adjoining tents. The Fife location will remain open.

“This is the culmination of a lot of work, of a lot of amazing people over many years,” said Puyallup Tribal Chairman David Z. Bean. “It’s the realization of their vision just to bring a first-class facility for our gamers here in the Northwest.”

Officials are planning to hold a soft opening for the tribe’s members. Council member Annette Bryan said she wants it to be a big party, to celebrate a project that involved tribal community input and involvement.

“I’m anxious to get it open,” Sterud added. “And I am proud of all of the work that has been done to reach this point.”

Puyallup Tribal member Katie Manzanares contributed to this report.

By the numbers:

$1.5 billion: The economic impact the Puyallup Tribe’s new casino is expected to bring to the area during the next decade.

$372 million: The new casino’s estimated construction cost.

310,000 square feet: The size of the new casino.

21,000 square feet: The size of the new 2,000-seat event center inside the casino.

2,450: Estimated number of Emerald Queen employees, once the new casino and hotel open.

15 years: The amount of time it took to make the new Emerald Queen a reality.

The Emerald Queen’s journey to star status began as a modest bingo hall built in 1992. But the Tribe had a grander plan – an unrivaled entertainment destination in the greater Seattle metro area including a hotel, casino and event venue. In the summer of 2018, construction began on a brand-new $310 million casino scheduled to open in December 2019. In addition to 310,000 square feet of space for gaming, the building will also feature a 2,000-seat events center, three restaurants and a second parking garage.

“It will have everything we could have dreamed of,” said Emerald Queen Casino General Manager Frank Wright. “It’s going to be fantastic.”

Process meets product to create harmonious efficiency

Emerald queen casino construction schedule

When a concept has merit, its adoption populates industry consciousness quickly. Offsite construction is a scheduler’s nirvana. A temperature-regulated, professional work environment replaces scaffolding holding crewmembers at perilous heights. Rain, snow, temperature and wind are locked into the construction approach of the past – forever neutralized. The seriously innovative are the early adopters – architects, contractors and product manufacturers.

When Cunningham Group Architecture (CGA) was awarded the project, the firm recognized that panelized construction would be the ideal process. Since the casino would be built above an existing three-story parking structure, tr