Stupak wants to build ship replica near Strip

Robert Macy

Thursday, April 8, 1999 | 4:13 a.m.

The Titanic rising from the Nevada desert?

Gambling figure Bob Stupak, the man behind the city's 1,149-foot Stratosphere Hotel, Casino and Tower, says you can bet on it - maybe.

Stupak told a news conference Thursday he plans to build a replica of the famous ship on 10 acres of property he owns midway between the Las Vegas Strip and downtown's Glitter Gulch.

The site is just a short distance north of the Stratosphere, which Stupak built. He was forced out of the Stratosphere, which went into bankruptcy a few months after it opened.

Stupak said he hopes to raise some $1.2 billion in financing for the Titanic, mainly through the sale of interval ownership units. Stupak said his plan would involve selling 41,300 units at $28,000 to $29,000 each. Each purchase would provide the buyer one week at the resort annually.

Admitting the price might be steep, Stupak said "They're buying history; they're buying a cruise to history."

The hotel would have 1,200 rooms or "cabins" that would resemble those on the original Titanic, Stupak said, with 800 of the rooms interval ownership.

One of those attending the news conference was Allen Rubin of Torrance, Calif., who said he owns the trademark to the name Titanic Hotel and Casino. Stupak's hotel, Titanic Las Vegas, would be a subsidiary of Titanic Resorts Inc.

Rubin said he has been trying to sell his Titanic hotel-casino concept to various Las Vegas resort owners since he trademarked the name two years ago. He said Thursday he has developed some interest, but has not made any deal.

Stupak said the Las Vegas Titanic would be 400 feet high, compared to the 180-foot height of the ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage in 1912.

Also included would be a towering "iceberg" that would house an 1,800-seat showroom, Stupak said.

No date has been set to begin construction on the project.