Las Vegas Approves Heart-Shaped Casino on SkyVue Site
The site was originally abandoned in 2012 after a project to erected a ferris wheel was suspended.
Clark County commissioners have approved a 29-storey heart-shaped hotel-casino on the long-abandoned SkyVue site across from Mandalay Bay according to Fox5.
Developer Eli Applebaum, through Kulik River Capital, bought the nearly 12-acre plot this spring for $70 million and is now advancing plans for 752 rooms, convention space, gaming, dining, retail and a pool deck, per Sportshandle.
The design also calls for a full-height LED curtain wall and a covered pedestrian plaza.
From Failed Wheel to Sky Restaurant
Applebaum originally sought a taller tower with 874 rooms, but reduced the height by 60 feet to satisfy Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
The unfinished support columns from the abandoned SkyVue wheel would be reinforced and folded into a 265-foot-high restaurant.
Locals have long referred to the concrete structures as the “pillars of sadness”, a reminder of the stalled 500-foot “Las Vegas Super Wheel” scheme that began in 2011 and collapsed before completion.
A Strip Pattern of Bold Icons
The proposal arrives as Las Vegas continues to lean on distinctive architecture to stand out in a crowded market.
Hard Rock International has already won approval to replace The Mirage volcano with a guitar-shaped tower.
