Las Vegas Opens $185 Million City Hall Today
Las Vegas gets a new home today when the City Hall complex doors open to the public at 10:00 AM. Standing tall as a mirrored reminder of the financial hardtimes the city is enduring, the $185 million structure features high technology along side the old-world charm of hand selected Italian marble.
Going green from the start the design treats visitors to a forest of solar trees, LED lighting and ambient light channeled into interior spaces where it is reflected off the polished marble tiles to remind visitors of our heritage. A time when early settlers manhandled animal drawn wagons in an attempt to navigate Grand Canyon size arroyos.
Fins on the exterior of the building illuminated by futuristic LED lighting remind us of water falling over Hoover Dam to spin the mighty turbines that generate cheap electrical power for Los Angeles. From the penthouse executive offices city officials can ponder the vast scenic vistas of empty desert around our brokedown city while dreaming of the day they will be carpeted with tract houses.
Taking a page from the design elements of CityCenter the new Las Vegas City Hall also features a solar oven at the southern entrance. Visitors using the plaza with the solar trees can now experience first hand what it's like to be a hot dog on the grill. Solar energy reflected from the mirrored facade along with the concrete plaza will combine with the direct rays from the sun giving Las Vegas the first "Hell Simulator." On a positive note, homeless people that frequent downtown will now have a convenient location to warm up slightly used fastfood.
Another positive feature of the new digs is the secured private elevators for council members and the mayor. Now they can come and go without the inconvenience of having to deal with the unwashed masses that elected them to their office. Even better, no more idiotic questions from all those nosey press people.
Originally touted as a great way to lower our staggering unemployment rate among construction workers the project employed almost 2 thousand craftsman during the construction. Now that the job is over will these workers return to the unemployment rolls and cause a minor spike in Las Vegas jobless numbers? Was there a minor spike in employment numbers during the construction? Did anyone check that?
Finally, on the truly positive side Zappos.com, the online shoe and apparel retailer, is free to renovate and move into the almost 40 year old former Las Vegas City Hall.
For those that want to experience the magic first hand, the new city facility is located at 495 S. Main Street, just down from the recently remodeled Plaza Las Vegas. Enjoy the dream.
