Getting to Know Las Vegas’ CityCenter

Finding your way through Las Vegas’ new CityCenter can prove to be somewhat challenging, so here’s a quick guide of what to expect when navigating through the soaring architectural maze.

MGM Mirage and Dubai World-funded CityCenter is a maze of buildings in Las Vegas that have been bombarded by critics and admirers alike with varying reviews long before the shiny structures were even set in place. There are six properties in the development, with a $8.5 billion dollar Aria Resort & Casino being the true anchor of the project. While interested parties are not able to purchase condos in this particular building, three other buildings do have units for sale.

Aria Resort & Casino (#2) was designed by Pelli Clarke and it will be offering 4,004 rooms, 16 restaurants, 10 bars and lounges, 150,000 square feet of gambling, and even the Elvis Cirque de Soleil show. The resort and casino is set to open on December 16, 2009.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel (#1) is a 47-story tower designed by architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and it will be offering 392 hotel rooms and 227 private residences. Prices at this Mandarin Oriental start at $1.6 million and closings on the condo units will only begin in January, whereas the hotel portion of the tower will be opening this week.

Veer (#6) is a two-tower condo project which was designed by Helmut Jahn and features 335 units. Units here are the cheapest of the bunch, with studios start at $350,000 with closing beginning in February.

The Vdara Hotel & Spa (#3) is a condo and hotel hybrid building which offers 1,495 suites. Designed by Rafael Vinoly, this property has already open and every unit comes fully furnished for convenience. As the only non-gaming and non-smoking building in the development, unit prices start at $500,000.

Crystals (#5) is already open and is CityCenter’s main retail component. With 500,000 square feet of stores including Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Emenegildo Zenga, H. Stern, Marni, and Mikimoto, Crystals is destined to be a popular stop for everyone who steps foot into the CityCenter’s maze. Crystals was designed by Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell.

And last, but certainly not least, The Harmon (#4). As one of the only buildings in the development that doesn’t tower over the city, Harmon was designed by Foster + Partners and it will be a non-gaming hotel offering 400 guest rooms. This property is only set to open in late 2010 but it will be worth the wait as it is reported that Harmon will be offering one of Haute Living’s favorites, a Mr. Chow restaurant, among other things.

Via: Curbed LA