Canters Deli - Treasure Island
Las Vegas, Nevada
A second generation modernist fantasy of the legendary mid-century Canter’s Coffee Shop and Deli in Hollywood, California re- positioned in the
TI Resort Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada for MGM/Mirage.
Conceived as the upstart child of the original Canter’s, a 24-hour-a day, mid-century-modern hangout
frequented by rock stars, actors, producers, bohemians and a colorful cross-section of Los Angelinos
attracted by proprietary corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, their perfected pickle recipe,
cheese blintzes and the ruggelah from their European Bakery.
After more than seventy years in business, Canter’s Coffee Shop and Deli, one of the oldest restaurants in Southern California, opened a new restaurant at Treasure Island (TI) in Las Vegas.
Canter’s first opened in Jersey City in 1917. They moved to Brooklyn Avenue in Los Angeles in 1931, where they introduced 10 cent corned beef and pastrami sandwiches to very receptive Californians. By 1934 they were selling a million dollars worth of corned beef and pastrami sandwiches per year.
In 1953 Canter’s opened an optimistic post war restaurant on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The 24 hour a day restaurant became an authentic Hollywood hangout whose regulars included Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones, Richard Reyfuss, Cindy Crawford, Paul Newman and Jay Leno.
The ultra- modernist design incorporated terrazzo floors, stainless steel kitchen counters and cabinets, mod tri-pod pendant lamps, Higgens Rondele sculptures and contoured seats suggestive of California hot rods.
JMA’s re-imagining of Canters for Las Vegas channeled the spirit behind the 1953 version,
The updated Canter’s embodied the optimism of the new millennium, with seamless terrazzo floors, curvy stainless steel kitchen counters, Kevlar-reinforced noncombustible-resin and spun-aluminum tripod lights, walls armored
in glass and wall sculptures riffing
on the Higgens rondeles.
Lighting, sculptures and chair frames were hand sculpted in hardwood. Somer were cast in recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy and then hand-polished, others were cast in Kevlar reinforced non-combustible resin. Metal cabinetry and signs for the new logo were cut with computer operated lasers.
Mozer Studios employed dozens of American sculptors, artists and artisans to create special one-of-a-kind seating, lighting and sculptures for Canter’s at TI.
Credits
Design Architect / Interior Design: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Architect of Record: YWS, Las Vegas
Lighting Design: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Furniture Design: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Art Work: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Graphics: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Product Design and Associated Manufacturing: Mozer Studios
JMA Project Team: Jordan Mozer, Jeff Carloss, Beverlee Mozer, Tim Schwarz, Matt Winter
Photography: Doug Snower