The Harmon

The Harmon was a high-rise building at the CityCenter development in Paradise, Nevada. The tower was designed by Foster + Partners as a non-gaming boutique hotel, and was to be operated by Andrew Sasson's The Light Group upon completion. The building featured an elliptical layout and highly reflective exterior located on the northeast corner of the project at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. Significant construction defects in the building were discovered in 2008, and the project was halted indefinitely. On August 23, 2013, a Clark County court approved the tower's demolition.[4] The dismantling of the tower began in the summer of 2014 and was completed in the fall of 2015.[5]

This article is about the demolished partially built defective building in Las Vegas. For other uses, see Harmon.
The Harmon
Alternative namesThe Harmon Hotel & Residences
Project CityCenter Lifestyle Hotel
Project CityCenter Block C - North Tower
General information
StatusDemolished
TypeHotel
LocationLas Vegas, Nevada 89109
United States
Address3720 Las Vegas Boulevard
Coordinates36.108681°N 115.173611°W / 36.108681; -115.173611
Construction started2007
Completed2009
OpenedNever
Demolished2015
OwnerMGM Mirage
Dubai World
LandlordMGM Resorts International
Height~138 m (453 ft)
Technical details
Floor count28
Floor area231,900 m2 (2.496 million sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firmFoster + Partners
Other designersMGM Mirage Design Group
Main contractorPerini Building Company
Tishman Realty & Construction
Other information
Number of rooms400
References
[1][2][3]

History

At the beginning of the project, the hotel was called the Lifestyle Hotel and then The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences. The tower was planned to have 400 hotel rooms and approximately 207 condominium residences from 800 to 2,900 sq ft (74 to 269 m2) on 49 floors. The hotel's pool deck was planned to be on the roof high above the Las Vegas Strip.[6][7] The exterior of the building was finished in 2009, but the interior work to correct the construction issues was to continue into 2010.

Project scope reduction

In late 2008, work on the Harmon Hotel/Condo Tower was stopped after inspectors discovered construction defects: County inspectors discovered improper installation by Pacific Coast Steel of critical steel reinforcements (rebar) after 15 stories of the building had already been erected.[8] The error caused a major change in the building's design; instead of being 49 stories, it was reduced to 28 stories with the condominium element, The Harmon Residences removed entirely.[9] At the time, 88 of the 207 condominiums were reserved by buyers who had put 20 percent down. Those buyers were offered refunds or the option to buy in other buildings.[8] Due to the delay and alterations to the design, the building was delayed past the other CityCenter projects and was scheduled to be finished in late 2010,[8][9] but was delayed indefinitely.[10] The canceled units ranged in size from 980 to 3,700 square feet (91 to 344 m2).[11] With litigation pending due to the defects, construction was halted,[12] and MGM Resorts International, the owner of CityCenter, targeted the building for complete demolition.[13]

Demolition

On July 11, 2011, a report was released by Weidlinger Associates, an engineering firm hired by MGM Resorts International. This report indicated that the building was likely to collapse in a major earthquake and that a determination of possible repairs would take at least a year.[14] On August 15, 2011, MGM announced plans to implode the building.[15]

The hotel's demolition was approved by a judge in August 2013, as the building represented a threat to public safety due to the risk of collapse in an earthquake.[16] Unlike many Las Vegas properties, the hotel was taken apart floor-by-floor due to its proximity to other buildings, rather than being imploded.[17] Dismantling of the hotel began in June 2014 and was completed in 2015.[18] The dismantling was expected to cost $11.5 million.[5]

In the fall of 2014, a large and complex legal dispute between CityCenter and the hotel's builders started. Each side accused the other of breaching their contract and sought damages as high as $400 million. The trial was expected to last a year;[19] however, a settlement was reached a few months later.

  • Construction progress in June 2007
  • Construction progress in February 2009
  • Construction progress in July 2009
  • Construction progress in October 2009
  • Construction progress in November 2009
  • Photo of the south east side after the exterior is completed
  • Progress demolishing the hotel in November 2014
  • Site of the former hotel in November 2015

See also

References
  1. The Harmon at Emporis
  2. "The Harmon". SkyscraperPage.
  3. Jennifer Robison (2 December 2009). "CityCenter wow-inspiring". The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  4. Tony Illia (11 Sep 2013). "Hotel's Razing and Defects Trial Could Be Best Shows in Las Vegas". ENR. Retrieved 12 Sep 2013.
  5. "Las Vegas News | Breaking News & Headlines". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  6. Arnold M. Knightly (30 June 2009). "Harmon inspectors blame breakdowns in communications for problems". The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  7. Joan Whitely (25 July 2009). "The Strip: Harmon Hotel inspector hit hard". The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  8. Steve Friess (11 February 2009). "Tower Rising in Las Vegas but Now, Not So High". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  9. Joe Brown (8 February 2009). "Adaptation or 'disaster'?". The Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  10. Tony Illia (12 April 2010). "MGM Mirage delays Veer, Harmon completion". Las Vegas Business Press. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  11. Aaron Auxier (2011). "The Harmon Residences (canceled)". Vegas Condo Scene. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  12. Arnold M. Knightly (4 May 2010). "Perini tries to enlist aid of governor's office in CityCenter payment". The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  13. Howard Stutz (13 November 2010). "Unfinished building tied up in litigation until 2012". The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  14. GARCIA, OSKAR (12 July 2011). "Engineer: Harmon in Vegas would collapse in quake". Businessweek. The Associated Press. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  15. Oskar Garcia (15 August 2011). "MGM Resorts seeks county OK to implode defective Harmon hotel tower at CityCenter in Las Vegas". KLAS-TV. The Associated Press. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  16. Jones, Jay (27 August 2013). "Las Vegas: Never-opened Harmon Hotel can be demolished, judge rules". Los Angeles Times.
  17. Jones, Jay. "Demolition of Vegas' never-opened Harmon Hotel to begin in two weeks". Latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  18. Illia, Tony (9 May 2014). "Court Approves Demolition of Foster + Partners' Harmon Hotel in Vegas". Architectural Record.
  19. Geer Thevenot, Carri (October 26, 2014). "Yearlong Harmon Hotel defects trial to start". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
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