The Mirage volcano spewed lava and steam one last time Wednesday morning to mark a celebratory yet bittersweet end of an era on the Las Vegas Strip that phased in nearly 35 years ago.
Resort management under the ownership of Hard Rock International and Seminole Tribe of Florida didn’t touch on Hard Rock Las Vegas, set to open in 2027 after an extensive redevelopment. Instead, the focus was on the Mirage’s historic place in the city’s evolution during closing ceremonies at the marquee entrance. In attendance were a couple of hundred people, including Elaine Wynn, ex-wife of former casino mogul Steve Wynn.
The Wynn’s combined vision manifested the 3,000-room property that transformed the Strip from one of just gambling to one of entertainment and non-gaming amenities. The Mirage was later acquired by MGM Resorts International; MGM sold the operations for $1 billion to Hard Rock in December 2022.
While the ceremony had a festive tone, away from the stage and on the near-empty casino floor, employees gathered with tears in their eyes, hugging one another for the final time as workers at the resort. Some 3,000 employees have been laid off as part of the closure.
Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, started the ceremony by saying that Wednesday’s event had nothing to do with Hard Rock. That’s why tribal members weren’t present; they will be in the future when the focus is on the next phase of the site.
“Today is about celebrating the legacy of the amazing Mirage Resort Casino Hotel,” Allen said. “It is unique in our industry. Casinos were casinos and that’s what creates the drive for return on investment. But this is a true destination. Closing it today is a very humbling experience. We have a very heavy heart over people (including employees) moving to other places on the Strip.”
Allen employed one of the more overused phrases in the industry today: “The Mirage was an integrated resort.”
“Who would put dolphins or white tigers in a casino? The design process started in 1985 and 1986, and we’ve all been trying to figure it out on a global basis. This was the starting point; the Mirage took it to the next level.”
Allen admitted as late as Tuesday night that he questioned himself about whether it was the right choice to shutter the resort, rather than keep it open during the redevelopment process. “I became very sad and asked God to give me strength. Hopefully, we’re making the right decision here,” Allen said as he walked the property Tuesday night. “When you start committing $4 billion and $5 billion and beyond, you don’t want to break apart something that has so much history. What we know now is that the future is bright and in front of us. We will certainly be back in front of you in the last quarter of this year or early next year to give the proper explanation as to what’s going to happen to these 78.6 acres when we open sometime in mid- to late 2027.”
Wynn, who co-founded Mirage Resorts and Wynn Resorts with her former husband, said she’s been to implosions of other properties, but this is her first time attending a farewell event of a place she was involved with.
“It’s a very poignant moment for me and I didn’t realize the impact of it until I walked through the door,” Wynn said. “Listen. This is what we do in Las Vegas. We reinvest. We refresh. We keep Las Vegas as one of the most exciting cities in the entire world. We don’t let our buildings get too old. We just let the bosses get too old.”
Wynn said their previous ownership of the Golden Nugget was a wonderful experience, but the couple wanted to join “the other guys and gals here on the Strip to do something spectacular and innovative.” That gave them the opportunity to let their imaginations run wild.
Up until that time, Las Vegas was mostly limited by a desert motif and culture, as exemplified by the Sands, Sahara, Dunes, and Desert Inn, Wynn said. Steve Wynn wanted to create the “dynamic tension” that makes people go wow. That became the notion of creating a tropical paradise with magical gardens, exploding volcanoes, dolphins, Siegfried & Roy, and their animal performers.
Wynn recalled the day the property opened. On Nov. 22, 1989, when the crowds rushed in, they looked at the atrium, stopped, and applauded.
“It was such a magnificent validation of all of the work, energy, time, and love we invested in this property,” Wynn said. “That moment will remain one of the most significant things I’ve ever witnessed. Of course, they proceeded to rush to the machines and made us profitable from day one, which was also wonderful.”
The resort cost $630 million and was the most expensive built in the world at the time.
Alan Feldman, a fellow at the UNLV International Gaming Institute who previously worked for MGM Resorts and as a spokesman for The Mirage when it opened, said it’s hard to believe that nearly 35 years ago, a group of dreamers gathered in the same spot to introduce the property, unencumbered by the usual Las Vegas stereotypes.
“We made a bold prediction that day that if The Mirage was successful, as we believed it would be, we would forever change Las Vegas,” Feldman said.
The Mirage was a new business model that integrated all of the aspects of a resort-hotel into one building. Many naysayers believed neither in that vision nor that the investment would pay off, Feldman said. He cited Forbes magazine to the laughter of the crowd.
“As we stand here three decades later, the Strip is wildly different than it was in 1989 and there’s no doubt about the impact this resort has had on Vegas and the gaming industry around the world.”
Feldman insisted that the success of the Mirage wasn’t about the volcano, white tigers, or dolphins, but the service provided to guests by employees who are the biggest legacy of the resort. The property closed with 137 employees who opened the property 34 years ago, to the applause of the crowd.
“Las Vegas is the city that benefits from change like no other destination in the world,” Feldman said. “The Dunes gave way to Bellagio. The Boardwalk to CityCenter. The Sands became the Venetian. The Hacienda and Desert Inn became the Wynn and Encore. The Marina became the MGM Grand, and on and on. The extraordinary momentum of our growth and prosperity relies on our willingness to change and empower the many creative minds to propel this city forward in an unimaginable fashion. The impact (of The Mirage) and its legacy will last forever. I know today is pinged with some sadness and bittersweet feelings, but it is the many extraordinary moments and experiences that we have all had that we will retain for the rest of our lives.”
Feldman said there’s a lot to look forward to as the page turns on the Mirage’s history and the teams from Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming get to work on defining a future “we can all look forward to, one that will carry on the Mirage’s legacy, spectacle, and excitement.”
Former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst said, “The Mirage changed everything” for southern Nevada. In 1989, Las Vegas was Fremont Street on the north, Tropicana Avenue on the south, Decatur Road on the west, and Eastern Avenue on the east. UNLV was one building, she said.
“The Mirage opened up and the world changed,” Jones Blackhurst said. “All of a sudden, Las Vegas saw what it could be. Before then, it was almost like we were blind. We didn’t realize how grown up and visionary you could be. Steve and Elaine changed all of that. They opened the doors and everybody walked in and we realized what Las Vegas could be. Las Vegas has become the envy of the entire hospitality world. The Mirage taught us that anything we could envision, we could become. We have several sports teams now. Everything they say we can’t do, we do, and that’s the magnificence of this city and magnificence of this building. It’s really appropriate that we’re ushering in a new era where indigenous nations are our partners joining us on the Las Vegas Strip and will have a lot to teach us so that we become even grander, greater, and more hospitable.”
