ATLANTIC CITY, NJ.- SOSH Architects’ design for Trump 29 Casino Resort in Palm Springs, California, received First Prize honors at the first annual Sarno Awards Ceremony, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, October 13. The design of the newly expanded Trump 29 property took top honors in the Architectural Design, Redesign of a Casino Resort category. 

Presented by Global Gaming Business magazine, the Sarno Awards recognize extraordinary efforts in the field of casino design completed within the past 24 months. A panel of five judges, including construction/architecture consultants, university professors, construction/architectural journalists and others evaluated over 1,000 entries in the categories of real estate development, architectural design, construction, theming, signage, landscaping, interior design, and attractions. 

An expansion of the original 80,000-square-foot Spotlight 29 Casino, Trump 29 Casino renovation consisted of three phases. The first two phases included a new 100,000-square-foot casino and 40,000-square-foot renovation to the existing casino, players lounge, high roller game area, 24-hour coffee shop, sports entertainment lounge, fine dining restaurant, food court, retail gift shop, and 2500-seat theater. The final phase, which includes a 400-room resort hotel and spa, is currently under construction. 

The design distinguishes Trump 29 from other Native American properties in the Palm Springs area by departing from the familiar concept of returning to the tribe’s history for inspiration. Instead, O’Connor and the design team highlighted Hollywood entertainment, set in the Rat Pack Glamour of the Palm Springs Desert. Rather than representing place and time literally with props, murals or other devices, the design suggests a place and time with color, shape, texture and lighting. 

Features include a fountain display at the porte-cochere entrance. Inside the casino, cascading columns of water stand 25 feet tall, in contrast to an ever-changing wall of flame that represents both fire and water. 

The design team for the Trump 29 includes SOSH Architects, Architecture; Andrea Piacentini Design, Interior Design; Visual Terrain, Lighting; Gensler Associates, Graphics; Lightscapes International, Landscape; and Hunt Construction Group, General Contractor. 

The Sarno Awards are named for Jay Sarno, who opened Caesars Palace in 1966 and Circus Circus Hotel Casino in 1968. 

SOSH is the architectural firm of Thomas Sykes, Thomas O’Connor, William Salerno and Nory Hazaveh. With offices in Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York, New York, SOSH offers architectural design, interior design, 3-dimensional design visualization, planning and professional management services.