LAS VEGAS
The catchphrase “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” apparently doesn’t apply to the Strip’s Harmon casino project, a long-stalled endeavor that has now thrown in its chips and folded its hand. Dismantling has begun and is expected to take about a year to complete.
Originally planned as a 48-story highlight of the massive CityCenter project that debuted in 2009 but never fully reached completion, progress hit an early snag when structural defects were uncovered during a 2008 inspection of the tower’s steel reinforcement elements. The glimmering construction has been stalled at 26 stories since that point, with a legal conflict between owner and builder adding to the inertia.
Now, following a court order permitting the dismantling process to proceed, MGM officials have stated that crews have begun removing scrap metal as part of the initial steps of the takedown. Neighboring sidewalks are being protected by pedestrian safety systems, and the process is expected to ramp up soon with the actual deconstruction of the building kicking in.
The tower became the locus of a huge legal battle between MGM Resorts/CityCenter and Tudor Perini Building Co., the complex’s general contractor, over responsibility for $400 million in claimed damages connected to the Harmon.
CityCenter representatives debated that the unfinished building was a safety hazard and should be taken down promptly, while attorneys for Tutor Perini Building Co. pushed for the tower to remain intact as possible evidence in the legal dispute.
A September trial is now slated to establish liability for the building’s structural defects.
