Every non-restricted casino on Water Street now has the same owner. One of them, The Pass at 140 S. Water St., has been closed for renovation since August, and no one has announced when it will reopen. The same company has also put its expansion plans for Emerald Island on hold. For at least this fall, Henderson's downtown casinos are on pause.
The rest of the street hasn't paused. A three-story coffee house added a second-floor cocktail bar in late summer. The brewpubs and taverns are still open. Water Street Plaza has a calendar running from a free bluegrass festival this Saturday to WinterFest in early December. If you live in Henderson, the street works much as it always has, minus one casino.
The Middle of the Block Went Dark in August
ECL Water Street, which already owned Emerald Island and Rainbow Club, closed its purchase of The Pass at the end of July. FOX5 reported that the deal gave the company control of all three non-restricted gaming properties on Water Street, and that the previous owner held a farewell party for guests as the property changed hands.
Tim Brooks, general manager of ECL Water Street, explained the purchase to FOX5 this way:
"We felt it made sense for us to have complete creative control over the three non-restrictive locations on Water Street… and The Pass is just a natural fit for us. Our company is very, very bullish on the Water Street District and East Henderson, the gaming market."
The Pass was a cheap stop for a drink. In January 2026, the Review-Journal's Water Street guide sent budget beer drinkers there for $1.75 Dos Equis drafts and $2 bottles. That price came from a different owner and a different era for the building. Global Gaming Insider wrote that the property "will close to undergo renovations, with a reopening date yet to be announced." In June, Brooks told The Nevada Independent that the property's name will change. No new name has been announced.
The Timeline Is Still an Open Question
The reporting on how long The Pass will stay closed doesn't agree. In June, CDC Gaming reported that the casino was scheduled to close August 1 for a year of renovation. Brooks told The Nevada Independent the work may take a year. By the handover at the end of July, FOX5 reported that Brooks said final plans and a timeline had not been set, and that ECL had no immediate plans to buy more properties. So "about a year" is a reasonable guess. It isn't a schedule.
The early plans give a sense of scale. CDC Gaming reported that ECL described a full interior remodel with food-and-beverage upgrades, about 450 to 500 gaming devices after the work, and 50 more jobs when the property reopens. ECL also said the full scope had not been defined. FOX5 reported a larger goal: three casinos anchoring Water Street, with a row of restaurants.
The deal also slowed down ECL's other casino on the street. In October 2025, the Review-Journal reported a planned 14,500-square-foot expansion with exterior remodeling at Emerald Island. The Nevada Independent reported that the expansion went on hold once The Pass purchase came up. One company now decides the order of work on all three casinos, and right now nothing on that list has a date.
Meanwhile, 37 S. Water St. Kept Adding Floors
At the north end of the street, The Coffee Class has been filling its new building one floor at a time. According to the Review-Journal's Neon section, owner Kyle Cunningham opened the ground-floor coffee house, bakery and café in May. It is his sixth location in the valley across his Coffee Class and Almond & Oat brands.
The second floor is Terminal 4, a cocktail bar modeled on the speakeasies that made Mexico City a cocktail destination. Cunningham told Neon that the bar "draws from the ambition, technical discipline, warm hospitality, and sense of discovery found throughout that scene while establishing an identity created specifically for Henderson." Neon also reported that the name nods to Las Vegas aviation history. The bar was announced for August, and a diner review on its OpenTable page dated August 22, 2026, shows it was open by then. The exact first night hasn't been confirmed. That review also mentions a list of house rules printed on the back of the menu, so read it before you order.
The rooftop is the one part of the building that isn't fully running. In August, Neon reported that the third floor was being used for events and that Cunningham said the heat might require more buildout before weekend brunch can start. No start date for brunch has been announced.
The building opened in May, and the casino sale closed in July. While the casino side of the street moved toward a shutdown, Water Street gained a café, a cocktail bar and a rooftop event space under one roof.
The Places That Were Here Before Any of These Plans
The Pass closing doesn't affect much of the street, because most of it was never tied to the casinos. Walking north to south, using the addresses in the Review-Journal's January guide:
- Lovelady Brewing Company, 20 S. Water St. The "Brew Mountain" mural is on the outside wall, and the Love Juice hazy IPA is its best seller.
- Gold Mine Tavern, 23 S. Water St. Open since 1965 and the oldest bar in Henderson, with bands on indoor and outdoor stages every Friday and Saturday night.
- Mojave Brewing Company, 107 S. Water St. It's in an old Bank of America building, the vault is now a pinball room, and nearly two dozen house beers are on tap.
- Johnny Mac's Water Street Tavern, 117 S. Water St. Live music on weekends, though the wings are the bigger draw.
- Rainbow Club Casino, 122 S. Water St. Open since 1967. Its facade carries Ozzy Villate's 2009 "Promise Mural," which tells the street's story from its magnesium origins on.
- Wine on Water Street, 150 S. Water St. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a patio and charcuterie boards.
- America First Center, 222 S. Water St. The Henderson Silver Knights practice here. Upstairs, MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub looks out over both rinks.
- Public Works Coffee Bar and Azzurra, 314 S. Water St. A coffee bar, Azzurra Wine Shop & Bar and Azzurra Cucina Italia share the address. The pet-friendly patio has a British phone booth full of books and photos of the shop's four-legged regulars.
Rainbow Club, one of the two ECL casinos still open, is on the list because it is one of the oldest buildings on the street, not because of anything new. The two oldest anchors on Water Street, a 1965 tavern and a 1967 casino, are still open while the third casino's next chapter waits on a plan.
The Plaza Fills the Calendar Through December
Water Street Plaza and Amphitheater at 240 S. Water St. is a 60,000-square-foot public space with a playground, splash pads, turf and shade structures. It's run by the City of Henderson, so its schedule doesn't depend on any casino's renovation plans. Here's what's on the city's calendar for the rest of the year:
- Henderson Bluegrass, Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free. The city lists Sister Sadie, Authentic Unlimited and East Nash Grass among the acts. If you have kids, the Spooky Birds event at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, 350 E. Galleria Drive, runs the same afternoon from 4:30 to 6 p.m., with a themed craft, a Bird Mobile ride and trick-or-treating.
- Maryna Krut in Concert, Saturday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. At the Water Street Plaza Amphitheater. Tickets are $15.
- WinterFest, Dec. 3 and 4. Free. One night has a tree lighting with a drone show, and the other has an electric light parade. The city's WinterFest page still says to check back for 2026 details, so times and which event falls on which night haven't been posted.
The city's bluegrass listing has the full lineup. If you come down Saturday, Lovelady and the Gold Mine are both on the north end of the street. Terminal 4 is up the stairs at 37 S. Water St., so check its hours before you plan on a nightcap there. Between the plaza and those bars, The Pass will still be closed, with no reopening date and no new name yet.
Downtown Henderson's mix of reopenings, new owners and multi-floor buildouts is also showing up in its housing, especially the condo and new-construction projects close to districts like this one. Karyn Carlton and the team at Carlton Holland Realty track how projects like these move from announcement to opening, and what those timelines mean for buyers with deadlines. If you're weighing a Henderson condo or a presale near a district that's being remade, schedule a consultation.
