I visit the corpse
of the Rem Koolhaas designed Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas over the (native american genocide) weekend.
This project was originally designed and constructed in 2000-2001, I was a senior professional for the executive architect TSA of Nevada (the Stubbins Associates).
The internal partition truss (140′ long, fully clad, both sides in 1/2″ corten) was fully suspended from the underside of the hotel tower. It has been reconfigured, if not completely removed.
Retail shops have been inserted into what is left of the corten gallery shell.
A Hugo Boss store at the north end features one of the remaining exposed corten partitions. The remnant of the stone fireplace from the previous VIP lounge remains, a feature element in the new store.
On the exterior, nearly the entire work has been obscured by vinyl supergraphics of celebrity chefs.
Near the porte cochere, some corten remains visible as does a sliver of window, the laminated glass pin at the partition foot. The former, full height sliding glass and steel door is visible. A smaller, perhaps exit door has been cut in to it.
The (3) former rotating display walls are gone.
Vestige end display cases of glass occupy what would have been the ends of the rotating walls when paused in the East West direction.
One of the cases features a head shot of Grace Hartzel, perhaps a highlight of the remodeled interior.
On a positive note: The removal of the fully suspended East truss partition likely avoids an eventual structural collapse that the corten might have enabled. See also: rust is a thing.
And no, I did not work on this remodel.
I worked on the former museum from schematic design through construction admin. I flew to Rotterdam to provide OMA assistance during the completion of the construction documents. I sketched all the roof details on the plane in pencil. I still have them.
I later served as a Gallery Educator for the Guggenheim Museum after it opened under Anita Getzler.
© David Curtis 2018 (edits 11/12/2022)
Pi-Des 