The Last of the New Frontier
Nick Christenson
November 13, 2007
In the early hours of Tuesday, November 13, 2007, the legendary New
Frontier hotel tower was imploded by the professionals at Controlled
Demolitions, Inc.. This event was the culmination of many years of
speculation as to the fate of this venerable property. The
Las Vegas Casino Death Watch staff was on
hand to record this event. This web page describes the end of the New
Frontier.
Closing
In mid-May 2007, we learned that owner Phil Ruffin would sell the New
Frontier to Elad, the owners of New York's Plaza hotel. Moreover, we
also knew that these folks would be eager to begin construction on
their new Plaza-like property as soon as possible. Consequently, the
mandatory two month countdown before the place could be closed
commenced immediately.
An incredible amount of history took place at the New Frontier site.
In fact, by our reckoning, it's the site of the second resort built on
what would come to be known as the Las Vegas Strip. At various points
in its history it was called the Last Frontier, the New Frontier, the
Frontier, and then the New Frontier again. During its tenure as the
Frontier, it was also the target of the longest labor strike in U.S.
history. Representatives of the Culinary Union picketed the place for
six and a half years.
Phil Ruffin bought the property in 1999 and was hailed as a hero
for immediately putting an end to the strike. Many thought this
victory would be short lived, as the public was treated to a parade
of ideas and partners that allegedly would redevelop this place. Alas,
none of these came to pass, and, in fact, the duration of Ruffin's
management of the New Frontier pretty much as he bought it lasted longer
than the strike. That's something few would have predicted when he
moved in.
The casino closing occurred on July 16, 2007. While the New Frontier never
garnered the same fame and loyalty as the more iconic Strip properties,
such as the Dunes, Sands, Desert Inn, and Stardust, many recalled this
place fondly. Largely because for seven years people had expected some
indication that the buildings on the site would be replaced, nobody
was surprised, nor especially sad, to see the place go. Its replacement
had been inevitable for the better part of a decade.
At the same time, it is the site of Elvis Presley's first performance
in Las Vegas, which was largely panned. It was also the home of the
first permanent magic show in Las Vegas with Siegfriend and Roy as
headliners, before they were wooed away by the Mirage when it opened
in 1989.
The Death Watch staff took some pictures of the New
Frontier in the summer of '07, after the announcement but before
the closing.
Pre-Demolition
After closing, the salvageable contents were quickly auctioned off
and the buildings were stripped for demolition. It was odd to see
the New Frontier's giant parking lot on the strip fenced off, especially
since that was prime viewing for many who watched the Stardust implosion
the previous March.
Much of the site was demolished, but not nearly to the extent as in
the Stardust implosion. For example, we were quite surprised to find
that little of the hotel tower's glass was removed before the implosion
was to occur. In the case of the Stardust, the hotel tower was reduced
to skeletal remains, but the New Frontier would be imploded largely
intact, or at least that's how it appeared from the outside.
We also took some pictures for comparison of
the site the day before the implosion itself.
Implosion
Scouting a site to view the implosion wasn't trivial. There are a number
of places that would have provided good views, but most of them were
unappealing for one reason or another. A view from the Trump tower
would have been spectacular, but it wasn't opened yet and we didn't
have an invitation in any case. Some of the Wynn or T.I. rooms would
have afforded a great view, but most of the T.I. rooms even on the north
side were partially obstructed by the Fashion Show Mall, and the Wynn
rooms were out of our budget.
A view from the Desert Inn I-15 flyover would have also been excellent,
but there was no provision for pedestrians to safely navigate this road.
The Wynn parking garage was an obvious choice, but we had heard that the
top floor would be off limits to people during the implosion. Plus, if
anything, it would be too close for good filming. Setting up along the
north side of the Fashion Show Mall would be a good spot, but we couldn't
guarantee that we would be able to maintain good sight lines with all
the expected foot traffic.
As it turns out, after doing considerable scouting, we returned to our
old stand-by location of the roof of the Circus Circus parking garage.
We would be further away than we were during the Stardust implosion,
but we would be well within easy photography and viewing range. We
also expected that the crowds would be light, and by arriving just a
little early, we could be assured of an unobstructed front-row seat.
We took some pictures that night.
The implosion was preceded by about a seven minute fireworks display.
Comparing this event to the Stardust implosion, I'd say that the
Stardust fireworks were marginally more impressive, but the New Frontier
display was longer. Both were good shows.
As with the Stardust implosion, they had rigged a fireworks graphical
display on one side of the building, which, again, was facing away from
our position. Even though the New Frontier implosion was further away
from us than when the Stardust went down, the percussive force was
noticeable. Apparently, due to the way it was constructed, the folks at
Controlled Demolition used twice as much explosive to bring down the
New Frontier tower as they did on the twice-as-large Stardust. Also of
note, they brought down only the main hotel tower. It would seem that the
bungalow structure that ringed the property will be brought down by
more conventional demolition methods.
Video of just the implosion (30 seconds, with sound):
Video of the fireworks and the implosion (7.5 minutes, with sound):
As with the Stardust implosion, we were prepared for dust. However,
that night there was a light wind blowing almost straight east, so
we were completely unaffected. However, I'm guessing those who were
in or around the Wynn parking garage would have been uncomfortable
without breathing and eye protection of some sort.
From our vantage point, our video, and the video that others took, the
tower collapse looked picture perfect. I expect that it went exactly as
planned.
After
The following day we took a look around the site to view the results.
Again, as intended, the tower basically collapsed in place. No doubt
they will soon begin hauling away the rubble and demolishing the rest
of what used to be the New Frontier resort.
We took some pictures of the site after the implosion
as well.
Conclusion
More than any other place in the world, Las Vegas knows how to celebrate
the regeneration and revitalization of its economic core. The New
Frontier may not have been the most beloved of casinos demolished in
the last 15 years or so, but they still put on quite a show. Again,
even though we were on the wrong side of the building, it was a true
event, one we were all glad to attend.
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