DREAMS - PART
1 (Altered Dreams)
Original Renderings of Existing
(or recently existing)
Resorts
Things don't always turn out the way
they were planned |
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Original Rendering |
click images to enlarge |
Finished
Project |
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Mandalay Bay
The original rendering of the Mandalay Bay, shows a separate
building for the Four Seasons (which now occupies the top-most
floors of the Mandalay Bay building). The tower is a bit skewed from
what was built and the "themed" area (in the foreground) was moved
to the other corner (close to the Luxor) and replaced with the Four
Seasons lobby. |
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  MGM
Grand
The original rendering for the
MGM Grand
was a real OZtravaganza. Rainbows, OZ-esque
architecture, dancing fountains, monorails, and an MGM bat-signal -
Glitter and Sparkle and Glitz - Oh my.
I'm glad they toned it down. |
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  Dunes
Expansion
In the early 80's, the Dunes had plans for an expanded casino and a
new rooms-tower. The original Diamond of the Dunes tower was to be
re-skinned in glass with a matching taller tower on Flamingo. A
pyramid-shaped casino was proposed for the corner (I wonder from
where the idea for Luxor came).
The Oasis (right) is what was built. |
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  Casino
Royale
The only notable differences between the
Casino Royale rendering and the finished product are: Denny's does
not have alfresco dining, the sidewalk isn't nearly that wide, and
the casino is not as open and inviting. |
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Stardust
The original pencil
drawing of the Stardust sign was very close to what was actually
built. Since the implosion of the Stardust, the sign has been
dismantled and is safe and sound at the Neon Graveyard. |
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Luxor
The
original concept of the
Luxor had no Sphinx, no light on top
and a striped facia.
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Circus Circus
The original concept for the first hotel tower at
Circus Circus,
shows the tower out front, close to the strip. The
new plans relocated the tower to the back of the
casino. The tower opened in 1972.
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The Mint
The
original 1965 rendering of the rooms-tower for The Mint
(now Binion's), is quite a bit different than the completed tower. The tower lost some style and gained an
outside glass elevator and a rooftop pool.
The rendering
shows trees on the roof of the casino building suggesting a pool
area.
The street-front
architecture was changed
after Binion's bought The Mint in 1989.
Binion's today
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Stratosphere
Originally, the
Stratosphere
was to be the tallest free-standing structure in the world at a planned
1,828 feet (nearly twice its current height). The tower was to be
topped with a very tall spire, housing antenna equipment, a (yet higher)
second observation deck and amusement rides. The FAA limited the height
of the tower and the plans were changed.
Here's the whole story and more
photos from a wind-tunnel point of view
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Caesars Palace
This is the 1997 model of the
Augusta Tower at Caesars Palace,
which was completed in August of 2005. It is completely different
than what was built.
A series of low rise buildings (from six to 18 floors) were to house
the 900+ rooms. The buildings that encircle the driveway would have
completely blocked the views of the old original towers.
Instead, the
original towers were re-skinned to match the style of the new
single
tower.
The Roman Plaza, which now has two indoor/outdoor
restaurants was not part of the
original plan. You can see more of the
completed project here. |
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Aladdin
The original rendering of the Aladdin, in my opinion, is much nicer
than what was built. But then, the new owners,
Planet Hollywood
are going to change that, so it doesn't really matter. |
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Palazzo
This is the first
rendering of Palazzo at the Venetian. The original rendering (left) shows the rooms tower
much closer to the Strip. The tower also has a three spoke design
(unlike the new design). You can see the Palazzo being built and read
more here. |
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Venetian
The original rendering of the
Venetian
is very close to the finished project. The main difference is the dome on
top of the rooms tower (which never happened). Other major differences are
the orientation of the rooms tower (which was rotated
about 60°) and the shape of
the pool area.
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Sahara
Although structurally similar
to the 1999 remodel, this 1997 rendering of the
Sahara, shows much more ornamental detail on top of the room towers.
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Mirage
The original rendering of the
Mirage,
shows the hotel tower positioned to the far right (although it looks very
similar to the tower that was built). The atrium looks smaller and is more
of a skylight. The lagoon looks to be a continuous body of water with the
auto traffic using bridges. |
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Bellagio
Steve Wynn's original
concept for what became the Bellagio
was a water themed resort called Beau Rivage. |
