No. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is not crumbling. This is according to a Clark County spokesperson who responded to online rumors alleging that glass lites were falling from the soon-to-open resort and casino. The rumors of shoddy work permeated social media as users questioned the resort’s construction.
The county spokesperson admitted that strong storms at the end of September damaged the building’s glass curtainwall. They told 8 News Now investigators that strong storms knocked over a scaffolding piece, which collided with the building’s curtainwall. Several glass sections broke and fell onto the resort’s pool deck below.
“The glass was broken due to being impacted by scaffolding parts and not because of lites ‘falling out’ of their secured position,” says the county spokesperson. “The damage was discovered the next morning as that shift began.”
A hotel spokesperson adds the resort is structurally sound with no known deficiencies.
“All aspects of the project have been designed, constructed and inspected in accordance with all applicable codes,” they say. “Construction remains on pace before our grand opening in December 2023, pending regulatory approval.”
After more than a decade of delays, the blue glass-clad 67-story resort and casino is scheduled to open on Dec. 13, 2023. The concept was unveiled in 2005 by Florida developer Jeffry Soffer as a sister resort to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in Florida. Construction began in 2007, and the building topped off in 2008.
However, the project soon exceeded the budget, and the development went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2009. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn purchased the project in 2011 and sold it to New York developer Steven Witkoff who intended to turn the building into the Drew Las Vegas. The COVID-19 pandemic halted the move, and Witkoff sold the building back to Soffer.
The 3,644-room resort is expected to offer visitors a collection of restaurants, shops, pool experiences, nightlife, spa and wellness services, and 550,000 square feet of convention space. Architectural designer Carlos Zapata is developing all exterior architecture at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
