Type Ferris wheel | ||
 | ||
Status Construction abandoned, plot advertised for sale Location Las Vegas Strip, Paradise, Nevada Opening Late 2012 (developer's original 2011 prediction) Height 500 feet (152.4 m) (proposed) | ||
Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel (or SkyVue - the official website uses both forms) is an unfinished giant Ferris wheel near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, US. As of 2016, only the concrete pillars have been built. Construction of the wheel and the proposed larger 3-phase project for the site — London, Las Vegas — have been abandoned, and the plot has been advertised for sale.
Contents
London, Las Vegas, as suggested by the official website, was to be a 38.5-acre property featuring 1,300 hotel rooms, a casino, the Skyvue wheel and 550,000 square feet of restaurants and shops—all of which would be architectural replicas of various British landmarks and neighborhoods.
The Skyvue wheel, being "Phase I of London, Las Vegas" was intended to feature a large display billed as the "largest outdoor advertising LED screen in the world".
Construction
Skyvue was originally announced as being 476 ft (145 m) tall, but has since been reported to be 490 ft (150 m) and 500 ft (152.4 m). Approved by Clark County Commission in March 2011, it was announced at a media event and groundbreaking ceremony in May 2011 by Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments, who stated "We expect it to be up and running in time for New Year's 2012." It was originally expected to have 40 gondolas, each carrying 20-25 people, but in March 2012 when 1,300 cubic yards of concrete foundations were poured it was reported that there would only be 32 gondolas, each carrying 24 passengers, and that it would not open until July 4, 2013.
In May 2012, the estimated opening date was further put back to late 2013, at which time it was also reported that construction of the two main support columns had reached a height of 60 ft (18.3 m). In July 2012 it was reported that Skyvue was scheduled to open on New Year's Eve, 2013, and that its support columns, which had reached a height of about 61 m (200 ft), should be completed within a month. A March 2013 update indicated the spindle and yoke were being assembled off site and would be installed "shortly". In July 2013 the developer stated “We anticipate construction to resume in the next couple of months.” Projected opening has been delayed until mid-2015. In January 2014, all scaffolding was removed from the columns, furthering speculation if the project will ever be finished.
Financing
On March 5, 2012, Shotgun Creek Investments, headed by Wayne Perry, announced their involvement in the $300 million project. By August 2012 they had "invested tens of millions" and may put in more, according to a statement released by SkyVue. In early 2013 Shotgun Creek Investments made two loans totaling $9 million in the project.