One of my favorite things about writing for Vegas Seven is the chance to write extended feature pieces that give me a chance to do original research and learn a great deal about Las Vegas, present and past.
In this week’s issue, I take a look back at the event which, 25 years ago, changed the direction of Las Vegas–the construction and opening of The Mirage. It starts in 1985, when Joel Bergman gets a summons from Steve Wynn:
At about 2 a.m., Bergman—who led Atlandia, the Nugget’s in-house design firm—finally arrived at the right condo in an under-construction country club subdivision. Wynn was still up when he got there, waiting for him.
“Joel,” Wynn said, “Let me tell you about the wonderful place we’re going to build in Las Vegas.”
I used many sources for this feature, but the best was a series of five interviews with Joel Bergman, Arte Nathan, Bobby Baldwin, Alan Feldman, and Steve Wynn, with an assist from DeRuyter Butler.
Two things really stand out to me: first, 5,000 words isn’t enough to tell the whole story, and second, the building of The Mirage really was a special moment in Las Vegas. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.