By Staff
FIRST VIEW – Visitors get their first glimpse of the Golden Moon Hotel &Casino when approaching it along Highway 16. The entrance to the parking lot is just off Highway 16. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
Aug. 27, 2002
The head architect and contractor for the new Golden Moon Hotel &Casino say they are pleased with the $177 million project.
Bill Yates, owner of Yates Construction Co., said he was amazed at how quickly crews were able to build the 28-story building.
While construction of the casino started less than two years ago, the design phase began much earlier.
Sergio Bakas, senior vice president of Miami-based Arquitectonica, the architectural firm hired to design the Golden Moon, said he began designing the casino more than four years ago.
Bakas said his 25-year-old firm designs hotels, arenas and entertainment complexes around the world. But, he said, the Golden Moon is one of his biggest jobs.
From the outside, the casino towers above the trees and is bordered by levels of waterfalls and shooting water.
Inside, flashing fluorescent lights bounce off of the multi-colored floors and walls. And the 90,000-square-foot casino floor is surrounded by restaurants, a bank, a coffee shop and several retail shops that have not yet opened.
Bakas said the construction and design was a team effort between Arquitectonica and Yates Construction.