On the Las Vegas Strip, modern marvels get built, only to be torn down a few years later.
Tropicana, the second-oldest hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, will be demolished (or perhaps imploded) to make way for the Oakland Athletics' Major League Baseball stadium. In that case, while some longtime visitors may take a nostalgic view toward the property, most people see it as a resort casino that has moved past its prime.
DON'T MISS: Las Vegas Strip adding two unique (and very different) attractions
A casino built in 1957 that hasn't undergone massive renovations is, in Las Vegas years, a very old property. In fact, only Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) -) Flamingo, built in 1946, is older, and many would argue that that resort casino probably needs either a floor-to-ceiling remodel or a date with a wrecking ball.
The loss of Tropicana is also mitigated by the gain of a professional baseball team. Adding the A's to the Strip might not be as big a deal as the National Football League's Oakland Raiders moving to the just-off-the-Strip Allegiant Stadium, but it's still a major get for the city. The A's will bring 81 home games to the Strip each year.
But an awful lot of people are upset about the pending loss of the Mirage Volcano. That free attraction revolutionized the idea of how Las Vegas Strip casinos bring people to their properties when it launched in 1989.
With its multiple eruptions each day, the Volcano became a destination at the Mirage, which was once owned by MGM Resorts International (MGM) -). That led to numerous other free attractions, like the Bellagio's Fountains and Wynn Resorts' (WYNN) -) massive Lake of Dream show.
And while the Tropicana will make way for something new on the Strip. the Mirage Volcano is being destroyed to add something that's already in abundance there: more hotel rooms.
Image source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Mirage Volcano's end comes clearer
When Hard Rock International bought the Mirage from MGM, the new owner clearly had no plans to keep the Volcano. Despite protests and a not-very-successful petition to have the attraction declared a historic landmark, Hard Rock has not hidden its intention to use the site for one of its signature Guitar Hotels.
Since the transaction between Hard Rock and MGM closed late last year, the question for the Volcano has been when, not whether. Hard Rock has been tight-lipped about timelines for every aspect of the project, likely to keep booking the Mirage until work at the property begins. (The hotel is expected to remain partly open during construction.)
Now, however, Clark County officials have given an approval that suggests work at the Mirage could begin any day now.
"Clark County officials approved a step that will bring the Mirage one step closer to becoming the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. "The Clark County Zoning Commission on Tuesday [Aug. 15] authorized a routine step that prepares the Mirage’s owners, Hard Rock International, for construction development."
That's the final regulatory hurdle -- even if it was a pretty low one -- that Hard Rock needed to clear before work begins.
The guitar-shaped hotel will rise 660 feet, changing the Las Vegas Strip skyline. Hard Rock will also fully remodel the Mirage building, expanding its casino floor.
The new owner plans to rebrand the property under the Hard Rock name, which was previously used by an off-Strip resort casino operated by a different company with rights to the Hard Rock name.
The current Mirage owner has the right to continue using the Mirage name until December 2024 under the terms of its sale agreement with MGM.
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