Fontainebleau Las Vegas
The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Fontainebleau Development and is a sister property to Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and sits on the 24.5-acre (9.9 ha) site previously occupied by the El Rancho Hotel and Casino and the Algiers Hotel. Ownership and development has changed several times since the project was announced in May 2005. It was originally proposed by developer Fontainebleau Resorts, owned by Jeff Soffer.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
2777 South Las Vegas Boulevard
December 13, 2023
3,644
173,000 sq ft (16,100 m2)
Land-based
Fontainebleau Development
Koch Real Estate Investments
The Drew Las Vegas (2018–2021)
The project was designed by Carlos Zapata Studio with Bergman Walls and Associates as the executive architect. Construction began in February 2007, and the hotel tower was topped off on November 14, 2008. The tower rises 67 stories, standing 737 feet (224.6 m) high. As completed, it is the tallest occupiable building in Nevada.
A group of banks had agreed to finance the project, but was sued by Fontainebleau in April 2009, after it cut off funding. Construction was put on hold two months later, when the project entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Fontainebleau was 70-percent completed, and the opening had been scheduled for October 2009. Carl Icahn purchased the project out of bankruptcy in 2010, but never restarted construction. Seven years later, the unfinished resort was sold to investment firms Witkoff Group and New Valley LLC, which planned to open it as The Drew Las Vegas in 2022. However, construction stopped in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada.
In February 2021, Soffer bought back the project through his company Fontainebleau Development, with Koch Real Estate Investments as a partner. Soffer reinstated the original name of the project, with construction resuming in November 2021. The project was developed at a cost of $3.7 billion, making it the second most-expensive resort in Las Vegas. The Fontainebleau opened on December 13, 2023, and includes a 173,000 sq ft (16,100 m2) casino and 3,644 hotel rooms.
History[edit]
Background[edit]
The property was initially occupied by the Thunderbird hotel and casino, opened in 1948. It was later renamed as the Silverbird, and then as El Rancho, before closing in 1992.[5] Turnberry Associates purchased the 21-acre (8.5 ha)[6] property in 2000, for $45 million. The company imploded El Rancho later that year, to make room for a London-themed resort. The project was ultimately canceled because of an economic downturn caused by the September 11 attacks.[5][7]
A privately held company known as Fontainebleau Resorts was later co-founded by Jeff Soffer, who was the chairman and majority owner of Turnberry Associates.[8] In March 2005, Turnberry Associates paid $97 million to purchase 3.6 acres (1.5 ha) of adjacent property – south of the former El Rancho – that had previously been occupied by the Algiers Hotel. The Algiers was to be replaced by the Krystle Sands, a high-rise condominium project that was cancelled earlier that month.[9][6][10] The purchase gave Fontainebleau Resorts and Turnberry a total of 25 acres (10 ha).[7]
In media[edit]
The Fontainebleau is depicted in the 2014-15 television series Dominion, in which it has become a hydroponic farm known as the Agri-Tower.[177][178] The talk show Live with Kelly and Mark also filmed at BleauLive in February 2024.[179]
