Provence on North Broad: Bart Blatstein’s casino/resort/entertainment complex

A rooftop shopping street with French flourishes, a 125 room hotel, 3000 slot machines, 150 table games, two swim clubs, a jazz club, a comedy club, a theater, and a botanical garden?

Meet The Provence, Bart Blatstein’s Francophilic casino/entertainment/resort complex proposed for the former Inquirer/Daily News building.

Bart hosted a bash to show off the conceptual designs for the complex on Wednesday evening. Here’s a roundup of news off of the event:

• Blatstein said his plan would be “a great shot in the arm for North Broad Street,” creating thousands of jobs and generating $25 million in tax revenues once it is open, reports NewsWorks.
• The project was designed by Steelman Partners of Las Vegas and will be built all at once, not phased, reports the Business Journal. “It’s the biggest project that I will ever do,” Blatstein said. “I will never doing anything as game-changing and transformative as this. We want to create the best entertainment resort in the country.”
• Why is it French-inspired? Philadelphia has long taken architectural inspiration from the French, so this is a nod to that history, reports the Inquirer’s Jennifer Lin.
• There’s no doubt which casino proposal City Council President Darrell Clarke supports. The Daily News reports that Clarke took the stage at the launch party – touting the casino plan as a job-creator. (Recall Clarke’s pro-casino op-ed from April.)
• The casino would be operated by Hard Rock International.
• This is an entertainment complex, as Curbed Philly reminds. Peep the party pix too.
• Blatstein says “There is no Plan B” for the site.