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. The dismantling of the tower began in the summer of 2014 and was completed in the fall of 2015.
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 on 49 floors. The hotel's pool deck was planned to be on the roof high above the Las Vegas Strip. The exterior of the building was finished in 2009, but the interior work to correct the construction issues was to continue into 2010.
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 after 15 stories of the building had already been erected. 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. 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. 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, but was delayed indefinitely. The canceled units ranged in size from. With litigation pending due to the defects, construction was halted, and MGM Resorts International, the owner of CityCenter, targeted the building for complete demolition.
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. On August 15, 2011, MGM announced plans to implode the building. 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. Unlike many Las Vegas properties, the hotel was taken apart floor-by-floor due to its proximity to other buildings, rather than being imploded. Dismantling of the hotel began in June 2014 and was completed in 2015. The dismantling was expected to cost $11.5 million. 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; however, a settlement was reached a few months later.
