LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – It took several years for the design team at the iconic Mirage Hotel and Casino to bring a “mirage” to the desert and the Las Vegas Strip, according to Paul Steelman, one of the main architects for the soon-to-be-shuttered property.
Steelman, CEO of Steelman Partners, tells FOX5 that he spent four years working to bring the vision of Steve Wynn to life, sharing the original drawings and designs for what would be a tropical oasis.
“It defined the ‘wow,’” Steelman said. Wynn wanted patrons to be transported somewhere else in their imaginations. “Without the Mirage front and without the front of Bellagio, Las Vegas would start to look a little urban, look more like Atlantic City,” Steelman said.
The 4-million-square foot property was historic for a number of “firsts”: the first “Y” tower in the world, Las Vegas’ first 27,000-square-foot kitchen that connected numerous restaurants, and the first time an artificial palm tree was used in a commercial setting.
Steelman shared with FOX5 some sketches from the inception of the project. The vision was an homage to the tropics, first drawing inspiration from British colonial architecture in the Bahamas. The vision pivoted to the spirit of “Old Kapalua” on Maui.
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