The Riviera Casino’s final tower came down last week as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) moves forward with its .4 billion convention center expansion.
The 17-story Monte Carlo tower imploded as planned at about 2 a.m. on August 16, but without the fanfare of June 14 implosion of the 24-story Monaco tower. That implosion featured a hosted viewing party, while this one was done in the dark and without an organized viewing event.
The LVCVA is paying $42 million to raze the Riviera and convert the site into an outdoor exhibition area in time for the March 2017 ConExpo-Con/Agg construction trade show.
After that trade show has concluded, the LVCVA says it will use some of the property for parking and to stage construction for the expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
At the nearby Wynn Resorts, Steven Wynn says he’s going to include a daily King Kong show as part of the planned Wynn Paradise Park.
The $1.5 billion Paradise Park attraction is to occupy the current 72-hole golf course at Wynn Resorts, with a 38-acre lagoon surrounded by a mile of white sand beach as its centerpiece.
Wynn says he now wants to build two islands rising several stories each in the center of the lagoon, and have a King Kong attraction.
Wynn says he wants his King Kong to stand eight stories tall, with a 50-foot spread from fingertip to fingertip, and be fully articulated.
Wynn says he wants the ape to hold a woman in one hand and make loud, scary noises.
Whether or not King Kong makes an appearance, Wynn plans to open the Paradise Park attraction in 2020.
Meanwhile, Wynn Resorts is opening its $4.2 billion Wynn Palace of the Cotai Strip in Macau by the end of the month. The resort includes a hotel with 1,706 rooms.
Once done with that opening, Wynn says he plans to discuss the Paradise Park project with investors in September.
