In Las Vegas, everything becomes part of the show. That might be a person playing plastic bucket drums for tips to full-fledged spectacles like the soon-to-be-removed Volcano at the Mirage or the fountains at Bellagio.
On the 4.2-mile stretch that makes up the Las Vegas Strip you literally have every kind of show possible -- from massive stars to drunk people who don't even know they've become performers. You can get your picture taken with a lot-rent Elmo, an endless array of showgirls and topless policemen/firefighters, or meet someone dressed as Spider-man, Batman, or even Optimus Prime.
The spectacle never ends and that has been an important part of how major players including Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and MGM Resorts International (MGM) build their massive Las Vegas Strip resort/casinos. Everything is oversized and designed for maximum visual impact.
Whether you're swimming under a replica of the Eiffel Tower at Caesars Paris Las Vegas or posing near a faux Statue of Liberty at MGM's New York New York, the whole Strip has been built to get your attention. That can be in gig ways -- like the statues dotting Caesars Palace -- or a more subtle piece of art/visual curiosity someplace else.
And, Las Vegas does not let its buildings go quietly. When a casino's life comes to an end, it generally gets one last spectacle -- an implosion -- where the building is brought down in front of a cheering crowd. Now, a number of sites on the Las Vegas Strip appear headed for that glorious end.
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Las Vegas Has a History of Demolitions
Las Vegas has a long history of implosions that saw some famous names not only disappear from the Strip, but do so in grand fashion. An implosion, of course, is the opposite of an explosion where a building is brought down on itself.
Vegas.com shared a list of some of the city's most famous implosions including:
- New Frontier
- Stardust
- Boardwalk
- Bourbon Street
- Castaways
- Desert Inn
- El Rancho
- Aladdin
- Hacienda
Many of these sites went on to host even more-famous properties. Aladdin, for example, is now the site of Caesars Planet Hollywood property while Desert Inn's location now hosts Wynn Resorts (WYNN) two Las Vegas Strip properties.
In most cases, an implosion isn't the end. It's a step toward something new rising at that location. That's what's about to happen in two key spots on the Las Vegas Strip.
Las Vegas Strip Gets Ready for Implosions
Billionaire NBA owner Tillman Fertitta, who owns the Golden Nugget on Fremont Street bought a parcel of land on the Las Vegas Strip earlier this year. He recently filed plans to build a 43-story resort casino on the property at Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. He also pulled demolition permits for the buildings that currently sit on the lot, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The site currently hosts a recently-closed motel and some shuttered souvenir shops.
Earlier this year, "New York investment firm Gindi Capital also landed county approvals for a three-story retail complex on 9.5 acres just south of Fertitta’s spread. It would span more than 300,000 square feet and replace a cluster of existing properties, including the now-shuttered Hawaiian Marketplace," the paper reported.
Those properties, including the well-loved Hawaiian Marketplace, appear set for demolition as well although no timetable has been set.
In addition, Reno real estate firm Tolles Development plans to build a nearly-2 million-square-foot industrial park about 25 miles south of the Strip. That would involve getting rid if the legendary Terrible's casino, which sits on the property.
“If we do implode it, we’ll do it up Vegas style,” Tolles partner Cory Hunt told the Review-Journal
