Clark County Commissioners have given the ‘green light’ to construct a new building in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, allowing for a guitar-shaped tower where The Mirage is located today, which will do away with the iconic volcanic attraction. The County Commission on Wednesday, March 22, unanimously approved the plans of the operator Hard Rock, which presented a project of 600 rooms and 200 meters high on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Hard Rock representative Jennifer Lazovich told commissioners that the tower would be built “right where the existing volcano is” and indicated that the company plans to “modernize and themed” the rest of the property to match the guitar tower. In this way, they plan to transform The Mirage into a traditional Hard Rock branded resort.
Joe Lupo, president of The Mirage, said in a statement to the Review-Journal that Hard Rock thanks the county commissioners and their team for the approval “as we continue to move forward with this iconic property.”
Hard Rock purchased The Mirage operations from MGM Resorts International in December for more than $1 billion in cash. The casino’s owner, Vici Properties, owns the properties and said its contract with Hard Rock calls for an initial annual rent of $90 million.
The company advanced its plans to erect a guitar-shaped tower on the property in late 2021, when its acquisition of The Mirage casino hotel was first announced. The company is known for its gigantic decorative guitars and has already built a guitar-shaped hotel tower in Florida, similar to the one planned for Las Vegas.
When the tower opened in 2019 as part of a $1.5 billion expansion at the Seminole Hard Rock casino-resort, the chain said its six high-powered light beams project more than 6,000 feet into the sky, mimicking the strings of an imaginary guitar.
Steve Wynn himself opened The Mirage in 1989, and this was the first major modern resort on the Strip, as it immediately drew large crowds and, over the years, became famous for its volcano and its ‘Siegfried & Roy’ performances. The project also started what is now a trend in Las Vegas: the construction of huge casino resorts with great services.
A petition created on the Change.org portal to “save” the Mirage volcano had collected 8,974 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. “From day one, the volcano has delighted visitors to The Mirage with a free Las Vegas attraction, making it less frequent and utterly incredible, as well as a very emotional experience… Frankly, it should be a historic site,” the petition states.
