Second in a series
The days leading up to the July 17 closure of the Mirage were filled with fond remembrances, more than a little nostalgia, and bouquets of well wishes as the property’s owner, Hard Rock International, embarks on a new chapter in the history of the vaunted megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip.
When it opened to rave reviews and skeptical financial projections in 1989, Steve Wynn’s piña colada-scented oasis lived up to its hype and well beyond, out-earning its $1 million-a-day operating breakeven point and never looking back. With grand illusionists Siegfried & Roy in the showroom and a volcano erupting in the front of the property, it set a new standard of creativity and quality in the casino industry.
Mike Smith was there at the start as the superintendent of the “low-rise” section of the property, while Sierra Construction built the high-rise hotel portion. As part of Marnell Corrao’s building team, Smith was in charge of making sure the casino, showroom, and restaurants opened on time to exacting specifications.
Smith had come a long way from his early years in Reno, where he’d done mostly concrete work, but he’d added to his experience and skill set with every job. The card-carrying union carpenter forged an association based on respect and results with the demanding and often mercurial Wynn.
“The Mirage was the beginning of my relationship with Steve,” the affable Smith, 88, says from the Reno home he shares with his wife, Karren Smith. “We finished up the Mirage on time – with the exception of the showroom, where Siegfried and Roy had to do their own loading. At that time, they were too busy running all over the world, showing off. I loved Siegfried, but Roy could be a miserable little (expletive deleted.)”
The illusionist duo’s failure to hold up their end of the agreement to have their act ready and in place caused so much acrimony that Wynn wound up litigating his star attractions. Once the show opened to sellout crowds, the dispute was largely forgotten — except by Smith, who made a career out of creating the right schedule with subcontractors he trusted and casino bosses who understood the necessity and wisdom of letting him do his job as superintendent.
Some of those duties were easier than others.
One he still laughs about was helping design the famous Mirage volcano, which entertained millions and was largely credited to Wynn’s creative genius. But Smith soon learned that there are no how-to manuals for homemade volcanos and Wynn and younger brother Kenny Wynn – as creative as they were – appeared to be as fascinated by the scale model as the finished product. Meanwhile, Smith had a schedule to keep.
Again, his ability to plan and move the project forward were indispensable. From the color of the artificial stone to hues of the water that flowed from two large pumps and was lighted to resemble lava, each step had to be created, then meet the exacting approval of the boss of bosses.
At the time the resort opened, Wynn quipped to the Associated Press, “What we couldn’t budget intelligently was the atrium, the volcano. There was no way of knowing those costs in advance. What do you do? Look in the Yellow Pages under volcanoes?”
Smith encountered less dramatic challenges a year later when Wynn decided to bring a dolphin exhibit to the Mirage. All the marine animals needed was a 2.5-million-gallon lagoon more than 20 feet deep and 120 across, with numerous curves and radiuses and large viewing windows. And, by the way, the builders had to carve the pool space from a bank of caliche.
As Smith told the Las Vegas Business Press during construction, “We had 19 radiuses in one spot. … When you have square windows in a round wall, there are no consistent radiuses.” He solved the dizzying curves issue by measuring and ordering pre-bent steel forms. “I took the curve out. I said, ‘Gentlemen, if you want to get this in on schedule, we’d better do some redesign or I’ll have to build all my forms out of wood.”
There was little time for Smith and thousands of others who contributed to the creation of the Mirage to rest on their laurels or ruminate over the frustrations and challenges of its construction. It was a resounding success from Day One.
The volcano attraction is gone now. The dolphins are gone, too. Unlike the late Siegfried & Roy’s big cats, this is not an illusion. Even Wynn, the face of the gaming industry for a generation, is no longer associated with Las Vegas after being mired in a sexual-harassment scandal.
The Mirage in name and spirit has vanished forever.
While Mike Smith is still here, he will remember those audacious, difficult, but ultimately rewarding experiences as an adventure unlikely to be topped in several lifetimes. And they didn’t end with The Mirage.
