Last month the world-famous Sahara Hotel and Casino closed. It's a bittersweet moment in the history of Las Vegas each time a treasured part of our city's past is removed from its future. Having lived here for several decades, many of us are used to this and understand that it is part of what makes The Strip environment as unique as it is. It is almost expected to be dynamic and never the same when you visit it.
As architects, a view like this one evokes several emotions. The hotel tower, constructed in the 1960s as the tallest building in Las Vegas, no longer fits the scale of its peers. An eclectic mix of scale, use and style in most other metropolises creates an urban fabric that is rich, but it is evident that in the case of the Las Vegas Strip, David doesn't face the same fate against Goliath.
So, we look at this image and imagine the possibilities that the future holds, however far off it may be. Does a Goliath belong at this corner? What form should the north Strip take as it transitions into a blossoming Downtown LV, where the scale is very different and more diverse and independent stake-holders are beginning to flourish?
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