EDITOR’S NOTE: This development is one mile south of Caesar Entertainment’s The LINQ, the highlight of which is the High Roller, which will be the world’s tallest observation wheel when it opens later this year. Design and art direction for the High Roller are being provided by the Hettema Group. — JK
Las Vegas, NV, USA (April 18, 2013) MGM Resorts International unveiled details today about the experience it is creating in Las Vegas surrounding the world-class 20,000-seat arena under development in partnership with renowned sports, entertainment and facilities organization AEG. Plans include new Stripside experiences at New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts and a public park leading to the new state-of-the-art arena. The Company also announced details about the team who will bring this robust new experience to fruition.
THE VISION
For centuries, plazas, squares and grand boulevards have served as important gathering places where people take in the sights, sounds and flavors of great cities. Enlivening one of the city’s most exciting intersections, MGM Resorts will create an experience that encourages social interaction and one of Las Vegas’ best-known pastimes – people-watching.
Providing opportunities for visitors to enjoy Las Vegas outdoors, this vibrant plaza will connect New York-New York and Monte Carlo as well as the newly announced arena on land behind the resorts. Construction will begin on the outdoor experiences at New York-New York and Monte Carlo in the coming weeks, with anticipated completion in early 2014.
Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said, “All great cities offer vibrant pedestrian experiences, and Las Vegas is certainly no exception, as The Strip is one of the world’s greatest boulevards. Our vision is to extend the excitement we traditionally create within our world-class resorts outside onto The Strip, and ultimately in an entertainment district leading to our new arena. To bring that vision to fruition, we have assembled a team recognized around the world for creating special venues and places.”
LAS VEGAS BLVD. ENHANCEMENTS
The front facades of New York-New York and Monte Carlo will be transformed into an outdoor plaza experience featuring a series of casual bars, eateries and retail destinations. New York-New York will modify its skyline and Brooklyn Bridge to create a wonderful environment brought to life through a vibrant patio culture and retailers new to the market. Anchoring the new experience will be Hershey’s Chocolate World™ flagship store, a two-story interactive, experiential destination that celebrates the incredible array of Hershey’s-branded products that inspire the “Hershey’s Happiness” mantra. Additionally, the hotel’s Irish pub, Nine Fine Irishmen, will be enhanced, including an expansion of its high-energy patio culture both on the casino floor and the Brooklyn Bridge.
At Monte Carlo, the current formal European-style exterior features will be removed to make way for new partners, including Double Barrel, a casual roadhouse restaurant and bar concept by the leading hospitality experts at sbe; Sambalatte, the art of sipping found in the ultimate coffee experience, beloved by Las Vegas locals, and soon available to visitors; and 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, serving build-your-own personal pizzas prepared to each guest’s liking and baked in around a minute in an 800-degree wood-burning oven, right before their eyes.
Between the two properties and leading back to the Company’s new arena will be a park environment featuring dining pavilions and performance spaces complemented by areas for quiet relaxation. At the gateway to the park will be Shake Shack, a modern day “roadside” burger stand known for its all-natural burgers, flat-top dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and more by restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group.
Additional partners and details surrounding both properties and the park will be announced in the coming months.
THE TEAM
Master Planner: Cooper, Robertson & Partners
Cooper, Robertson & Partners was founded in 1979 on the premise that the pursuit of excellence in two distinct but related fields – architecture and urban design – would best serve the needs of clients. The firm is recognized nationally for the creation of distinctive urban public places, from the Battery Park City Esplanade and Zuccotti Park in New York to Fountain Square in Cincinnati and Cityfront Center in Chicago.
!melk
!melk is a leading Landscape Architecture and Urban Design firm that focuses on large-scale urban-landscape interventions as well as public spaces and parks. !melk, led by renowned landscape architect and urban designer Jerry van Eyck, will produce the design for this reinvigorated public space on the Las Vegas Strip.
MGM Resorts and AEG recently announced plans to build a 20,000-seat indoor arena on land west of The Strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo. The arena will be capable of hosting boxing and other sporting events, major headline entertainment, and special events. Design and planning for the arena is well underway and the partners are working toward appropriate approvals.
As the two entertainment companies move forward in this process, they have built a world-class team to develop and construct the arena:
ICON Venue Group
ICON Venue Group will serve as Project Manager for the new Las Vegas arena. ICON is consistently recognized as the leading Owner’s Representative and Project Management firm in the sports, entertainment and public assembly industry with a project portfolio that includes many of the preeminent live entertainment venues around the world.
ICON’s portfolio includes landmark venues like the Pittsburgh Penguins’ CONSOL Energy Center, the first NHL arena to be certified LEED Gold and ranked “Best NHL Arena” by Sports Business Journal; and AEG’s O2 Arena, the first-ever venue to be named by Pollstar as “Best New Concert Venue” and “Best International Arena of the Year” in the same year.
Marnell Architecture
Marnell Architecture and its affiliates at Marnell Companies provide full-service Consulting, Master Planning, Architecture, Interior Design and Construction Management. For more than 35 years the Company has been associated with the Design, Construction, Development and Operations of numerous Global Gaming Landmarks including Bellagio, The Mirage, MGM Grand, New York-New York and Monte Carlo.
Arena Architect
MGM Resorts and AEG are currently undergoing a detailed RFP process with the world’s premier arena architects and anticipate a final decision and announcement in the coming weeks.
