Building a New Las Vegas
"Americans have been conditioned to respect newness, whatever it costs them." – John Updike
Sept. 14, 2007
By Jake Gosselin
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer
The death of the Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas represents an important milestone in the ever-changing Vegas cityscape. The Frontier was an icon that represented the last vestiges of old Las Vegas on the Strip.
But, as usual, in the midst of death there is rebirth, and the Las Vegas Strip is no exception.
As hard as it is to believe that a city like Las Vegas can continue to boom, the fact is that since Steve Wynn began building in 2005, the whole Strip has become a giant construction site.
Echelon
On the 87 acres where The Stardust, Westward Ho and Budget Suites once were, Echelon, a massive new hotel/casino complex, is being built.
The Stardust, which was imploded on March 13, 2007, was surprisingly new with its main tower constructed in 1991. But that's how things work on the Las Vegas Strip, especially with real estate prices sitting at $34 million per acre.
Real estate slump? Not in Vegas, baby.
To be completed in 2010, Echelon will be the crown jewel of the north end of the Strip with a building cost of $4.8 billion and the third largest casino in Vegas.
Echelon Stats:
- 57 floors
- 4,713 rooms
- 5 towers
- 140,000 square-foot casino
- 300,000 square-foot shopping venue
- 750,000 square-foot convention center
- 30 restaurants and bars
- 4,000 seat stadium-style theater
Palazzo
Ground has been broken and construction is underway on the Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino. The Las Vegas Sands Corporation, who also operate the Venetian, are already taking reservations on rooms starting on Dec. 20, 2007.
The $1.8 billion project recently had an additional 270-unit condo tower added to it, bringing the whole project up to $2.265 billion.
Las Vegas Sands officials have described the Palazzo as a "world-class luxury hotel, casino and resort with a design and ambience reminiscent of high-end locales such as Beverly Hills, Bel-Air and Rodeo Drive."
Adjacent to the Venetian and across from Wynn, Palazzo is positioned for success.
Palazzo Stats:
- 50 floors
- 3,068 rooms
- 105,000 square-foot casino
- 250,000 square-foot pool deck that connects to the Venetians pool deck
- 450,000 square-foot shopping, dining and entertainment complex connecting to the Grand Canal Shops at the Venetian
- 450,000 square-foot meeting and conference space connecting to the Sands Convention Center
Fontainebleau
So far only five floors of the impressive new Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino have been completed, but when this $2.8 billion development finally goes up in 2009, it's going to be a very slick new addition to the Vegas Strip.
The design is very modern and chic and will be a combination of hotel and condominiums.
Standing on the north end of the Strip where El Rancho and Algiers casinos once were, the 24.5 acre resort will be exceptional, if for no other reason than its design and construction has been certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project.
LEED is a benchmark for environmental sustainability developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. In order to be a certified LEED project, a building must meet five key areas of human and environmental health including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Could there be a greater contrast between old and new Vegas than Fontainebleau? What would Bugsy Siegel have said to the suggestion that he build the Flamingo to be environmentally friendly?
Fontainebleau Stats:
- 63 floors
- 3,889 rooms
- 100,000 square-foot casino
- 1000 condo units
Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino
This high-end $1.8 billion resort and casino is broken into two distinct towers, the Casino Spa Tower and the Beach Resort Tower. So far eight floors of each have been built and are scheduled to be finished in the first quarter of 2010.
Once again, the theme here is luxury. Not surprisingly, nobody is paying $34 million an acre to put up a Super 8.
Cosmopolitan claims it will have the best in amenities: an outstanding beach, VIP pool on the roof as well as a high- and low-limit poker room co-designed by top poker pros.
Cosmopolitan Stats:
- 61 floors
- 3,000 condo and hotel rooms
- 75,000 square-foot casino
- 300,000 square-foot retail, restaurant and entertainment space
- 1,800 seat theater
CityCenter
It seems a little audacious to build a resort in Las Vegas and call it CityCenter, but in the case of this MGM Mirage project, that is a pretty good description for this $7.4 billion project.
This monster is going to involve six towers over 68 acres and is under construction between Monte Carlo and Bellagio, but it will also later occupy the space between Monte Carlo and New York-New York.
This mini-city is going to incorporate its own parks, fire station and power plants all while maintaining plenty of pedestrian space. On top of it all, this beast has managed to achieve an LEED certification.
Phase One of CityCenter will open in November 2009.
CityCenter Stats:
- Six towers ranging in height from 37 – 60 floors
- 6,300 hotel rooms
- 350 luxury condominiums
- 165,000 square-foot casino
- 500,000 square-foot retail and entertainment space
- 225,000 square-foot convention and meeting space
- 2,000 square-foot theater
- 70,000 square-foot spa
- 7,500 car parking garage
- 8,000 construction workers and 39 cranes will be on site at peak levels of construction
- 12,000 new permanent jobs will be created when it opens
- It is currently the most expensive privately funded project in the western hemisphere
TOP PHOTO: She's come to drill in a whole new Las Vegas Strip.
