Once known as the Fairgrounds Casino, the Hamburg Casino in Hamburg, N.Y., is the new crown jewel of the huge 275,000- acre Erie County Fairgrounds complex that includes the Buffalo Raceway horse track, an expo hall, four parks, campgrounds and event center. The 66,000-square-foot, two-story facility features Memphis, Tenn.- based Varco Pruden Buildings’ Continuous Beam framing system with two interior col- umns for the main gaming area, and a lean- to on the backside for the equipment and mechanical room. Included in the building is a 10,000-square-foot mezzanine that houses administrative offi ces, and incorporates mezzanine beams, bar joists and decking from Varco Pruden.
The large entertainment center features
three restaurants, 940 slot machines and 50 TVs for local sports events. Holding the entire complex together are a CFR roofi ng system and a CF Mesa wall system from Metl-Span, Lewisville, Texas. Rigid fi re codes necessi- tated the use of a Metl-Span ThermalSafe wall system that is 4 inches thick and 42 inches wide and has a one-hour fi re rating. The whole design allows one space to
fl ow into another, as the casino is 50 feet from the expo center and connected by a breeze- way. The entranceway welcomes visitors with a porte cochere embellished with an 18-foot frosted glass pyramid. BHNT Architects, Buffalo, N.Y., served as the project architect, while Tedesco Construction Services Inc., Lewiston, N.Y., was the general contractor.