Desert Inn to be imploded Nov. 17

Friday, Aug. 20, 2004 | 10:50 a.m.

Get ready for a double implosion at the Wynn Las Vegas megaresort in the wee hours of Nov. 17.

Steve Wynn announced Thursday that he expects to simultaneously implode both remaining Desert Inn hotel buildings, including the St. Andrews Tower, about 1 a.m. on Nov. 17.

Wynn's top staff had been housed in the St. Andrews Tower but is slated to move today to temporary quarters until their new digs in the $2.4 billion Wynn Las Vegas resort are ready.

Clark County Building Official Ron Lynn said Thursday that Wynn Resorts has already received its conventional demolition permits for the building to be gutted and its critical connections weakened before the implosions.

Lynn said the county had yet to receive the required implosion permit requests but noted that Wynn has plenty of time to apply as the turnaround time is only about five weeks.

The city's last two hotel implosions have also been early morning spectacles. Wynn imploded the Desert Inn's Augusta Tower in October 2001 and Florida-based Turnberry Associates imploded the El Rancho tower in October 2000.

Wynn said he chose the early morning time for the double implosion to reduce costs. The company will have to cover the cost of shutting down Las Vegas Boulevard and other nearby streets for safety reasons because hotel tower implosions create giant dust clouds that impede visibility.