The Las Vegas Strip continues to evolve and modernize into the future as long-time, classic hotels, casinos and retail properties face the wrecking ball to make way for new projects.
No fewer than a dozen classic Las Vegas hotel casinos have been imploded since the early 1990s to make way for new, modern hotel casinos, some that still stand today. The implosions date back to the October 1993 destruction of the classic Dunes, which made way for Bellagio, according to Vegas.com. Then in November 1995, the Landmark Hotel and Casino was imploded to clear the way for a parking lot for the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Sands was detonated in November 1996 to be replaced by The Venetian, and shortly thereafter on New Year's Eve 1996, Hacienda was imploded to be replaced by Mandalay Bay. In April 1998, the original Aladdin came down and was replaced by the new Aladdin in August 2000 that featured 2,600 rooms, 500,000 square feet of retail space, a 100,000 square foot of casino and 21 restaurants. The hotel would later become Planet Hollywood.
The El Rancho was imploded in October 2000 to eventually make way for the Fontainebleau Las Vegas that is getting closer to opening, and the Desert Inn was destroyed in October 2001 to be replaced by Wynn Las Vegas. Castaways, Bourbon Street, Boardwalk and Stardust were all imploded in 2006 with Boardwalk replaced by MGM's CityCenter and Stardust making way for Echelon Place. The Castaways and Bourbon Street properties remain empty. In 2007, the New Frontier was imploded for a Plaza-branded resort, but those plans never developed, and Wynn purchased the land which remains vacant.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet.
New Construction Projects Coming to The Strip
New developments are still in the works on the Strip. MGM Resorts International (MGM) is in the process of selling its The Mirage property to Hard Rock International for construction of a Guitar Hotel project, similar to its guitar-shaped Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
Billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who owns the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas, has purchased a 6.2 acre former Travelodge site and is expected to build a resort casino on the location. While everyone seems to be unsure of Fertitta's specific plans, his neighbor at the now-closed Hawaiian Marketplace is ready to launch a new project featuring new retail and dining options.
New York investment firm Gindi Capital purchased the 9.5-acre Hawaiian Marketplace site on the Strip in 2019 for $172 million with plans to build "a new flagship retail, entertainment and dining experience" on the land, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The acquisition included the neighboring Cable Center Shops.
Developing a Destination Venue
The 80,000 square foot Hawaiian Marketplace, which was modeled after the International Marketplace outdoor shopping center in Honolulu, closed in June.
The retail center occupies 2.35 acres of the total property. In a court filing, the owners have said that construction is imminent and temporary fencing will be built around the property on Aug. 1. Existing structures will be demolished by Aug. 15, according to the report.
The construction schedule was reportedly included in court filings for a lawsuit filed against one of the Hawaiian Marketplace's tenants.
