Stratosphere Las Vegas
Encyclopedia
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
, hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
located on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its tower is also the tallest observation tower, and the 5th-tallest structure, in the United States, as well as being the tallest structure in Las Vegas.
It is owned by Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co who purchased American Casino & Entertainment Properties
American Casino & Entertainment Properties
American Casino & Entertainment Properties is a casino holding company headquartered at the Stratosphere Las Vegas. ACEP was a wholly owned subsidiary of American Real Estate Partners before it was sold to Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds in February 2008...
which includes the Stratosphere along with three other properties. The sale closed on February 21, 2008 for . The property's signature attraction is the 1149 ft (350.2 m) Stratosphere Tower, the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the second tallest in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
, surpassed only by the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The hotel is a separate building with 24 stories, 2,427 rooms and an 80000 sq ft (7,432.2 m²) casino.
The Stratosphere is the northernmost of the major Strip casinos and the only one actually in the City of Las Vegas, as the rest of the Strip south of Sahara Avenue is in the unincorporated townships of Paradise
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
and Winchester
Winchester, Nevada
Winchester is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States that contains part of the Las Vegas Strip. It is one of a number of CDPs in the unincorporated urbanized area directly south of Las Vegas. The population was 26,958 at the 2000 census. It is governed by the Clark County...
. Note, however, that the Nevada Gaming Control Board does not include the Stratosphere in its definition of the Strip
LV Strip (Nevada gaming area)
The LV Strip is one of the designated Nevada Gaming Control Boards reporting areas. It consists of the Las Vegas Strip casinos and many of the surrounding casinos...
, instead grouping it with Downtown Las Vegas casinos.
History
In the early 1990s, The Stratosphere was conceived by Bob StupakBob Stupak
Robert E. "Bob" Stupak was a Las Vegas casino owner and entrepreneur.He was also a poker player, winning titles at the World Series of Poker and the Super Bowl of Poker...
as an addition to his Vegas World
Vegas World
Vegas World was a casino/hotel opened in 1979 on Las Vegas Boulevard owned and operated by Bob Stupak. It was also signed as Bob Stupak's Vegas World....
casino. At the conception of the project, one of the planned rides was to be a giant ape that would carry riders up and down one of the tower's columns. The original plans envisioned the Stratosphere exceeding the height of the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
at 1815 ft (553.2 m), making it the world's tallest freestanding structure at that time. However, due to possible interference with nearby McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
, and any possible flights that come through Las Vegas, the Tower's proposed height shrank multiple times until its current height of 1149 ft (350.2 m).
On August 29, 1993, the Tower caught fire while still under construction. No one was injured, but the fire forced repairs and rebuilding that led to numerous delays in the construction of the Tower.
In 1995, Grand Casinos
Grand Casinos
Grand Casinos was a casino operator that started out managing several casinos in Minnesota in 1990.The company ceased to exist when it was purchased by Hilton Hotels which then merged it with its other gaming properties to form Park Place Entertainment in 1998.-History:Grand owned a total of 8...
was brought on as an equity partner for the still privately funded project under construction. While construction was still progressing, the Stratosphere Corporation was formed as a public company with shares being offered to the public.
The Stratosphere opened on April 30, 1996. Shortly after opening, the Stratosphere Corporation was forced to file bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. This caused construction on the second tower to stop, with only a few stories partially built, and it allowed Carl Icahn
Carl Icahn
Carl Celian Icahn is an American business magnate and investor.-Biography:Icahn was raised in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York City, where he attended Far Rockaway High School. His father was a cantor, his mother was a schoolteacher...
to gain control through one of his companies by buying a majority of the outstanding bonds.
A major addition was completed in June 2001 for $1 billion that included finishing the 1000-room second hotel tower.
In the early 2000s, the company attempted to get approval for a roller coaster that would run from several hundred feet up the tower and, in the last proposal, across Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas Boulevard
State Route 604 is the route number designation for parts of Las Vegas Boulevard, a major north–south road in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Nevada in the United States best known for the Las Vegas Strip and its casinos. Formerly carrying U.S...
. Part of that last proposal included an entry monument on the ride over Las Vegas Boulevard welcoming people to the City of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas City Council did not approve the project due to objections from the neighbors over possible noise from the enclosed cars on the proposed ride.
In January 2010, American Casino & Entertainment Properties announced a new thrill ride for the top of the tower: SkyJump, a controlled descent, Bungee jumping
Bungee jumping
Bungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that...
-like ride that will allow riders to plummet 855 feet (260.6 m) attached to a high speed, descent wire. It opened on April 20, 2010.
Radio stations KOAS 105.7 (FM)
KOAS
KOAS is a radio station broadcasting a Rhythmic adult contemporary format. Licensed to Dolan Springs, Arizona, USA, the station serves the Laughlin/Las Vegas/Dolan Springs area. The station is currently owned by Las Vegas-based Riviera Broadcast Group...
and KVGS 107.9 (FM)
KVGS
KVGS is a commercial radio station located in Meadview, Arizona, broadcasting to the Las Vegas metropolitan area on 107.9 FM. KVGS airs an adult hits format branded as 107.9 BOB FM, airing a jockless mix of 70s, 80s, and 90s pop and rock hits.-History:...
have on-channel FM boosters broadcasting from an antenna at the top of the tower's structure. Licensed as KOAS-FM1 and KVGS-FM1, they are the only radio stations with transmitters at the tower. However, the signals being transmitted from this structure are relatively low-power and only cover the immediate Las Vegas area on a "fill in" or "booster" basis. Both of these stations have their main transmitter sites located elsewhere, and those transmitter sites are what give these stations more wide spread, regional coverage.
Rides
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
s, a restaurant known as "Top of the World" (revolving restaurant
Revolving restaurant
A revolving restaurant is a usually tower restaurant eating space designed to rest atop a broad circular revolving platform that operates as a large turntable. The building remains stationary and the diners are carried on the revolving floor. The revolving rate varies between one and three times...
), and four thrill rides:
- Big Shot at 1081 ft (329.5 m) is the highest thrill rideAmusement rideAmusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...
in the world. - Insanity, opened in 2005, at 900 ft (274.3 m) is the second highest thrill ride in the world; it dangles riders over the edge of the tower and then spins in a circular pattern at approximately forty miles per hour.
- SkyJump Las VegasSkyJump Las VegasSkyJump Las Vegas holds the Guinness World Record for highest commercial decelerator descent with an official height of and is located at Stratosphere Las Vegas. As part of its grand opening event, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman presented a written proclamation deeming April 20, 2010 as SkyJump Day...
, a controlled descent, Bungee jumping-like ride that will allow riders to plummet 855 ft (260.6 m) attached to a high speed, descent wire. SkyJump opened on April 20, 2010. - X-ScreamX-ScreamX-Scream is, at a height of approximately , the world's third highest amusement ride, located on top of the Stratosphere Las Vegas.- Ride Experience :...
at 866 ft (264 m) is the third highest thrill ride in the world.
Previous attractions
- The High RollerHigh Roller (Stratosphere)The High Roller, at , was the highest roller coaster in the world. It was located at the Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States and manufactured by S&MC....
at 909 ft (277.1 m) was the second highest ride in the world and the highest roller coasterRoller coasterThe roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
. It was closed on December 30, 2005 and dismantled to make space for a new attraction.
Stratosphere Tower Shops
The Tower Shops is a mall on the second level that connects the casino to the entrance to the tower.Gaming
Some of the casino games include slot machines, video pokerVideo poker
Video poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker. It is played on a computerized console similar in size to a slot machine.-History:...
and European roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
. The Stratosphere has inherited some unusual variations on casino games from its Vegas World predecessor, such as "crapless craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
". The 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) casino includes approximately 50 table games, 1,500 slot and video poker machines, a poker room, and a race and sports book.
Controversies
In two separate incidents in 2005, riders were left dangling several hundred feet above the Las Vegas Strip for nearly an hour and a half when one of the thrill rides (Insanity) shut down. The ride didn't malfunction, but was programmed to cease operation if a fault or problem is detected by the ride's control system.[source for second incident?]Since its opening in 1996, five people have jumped to their deaths from the top of the tower.
In popular culture
The Stratosphere is the model for the Lucky 38 casino, the headquarters of Mr. House, the ruler of New Vegas, in Fallout: New VegasFallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is a first person action role-playing video game in the Fallout series developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada...
. Its silhouette appears at the lower left of the game's box art.
The Stratosphere is featured in the 2005 movie Domino
Domino (film)
Domino is a 2005 American action film directed by Tony Scott and written by Richard Kelly. It is inspired by the story of Domino Harvey, the English daughter of stage and screen actor Laurence Harvey, who became a bounty hunter working in Los Angeles. The film stars Keira Knightley as Domino and...
.