by Ray Setterfield
April 8, 1999 — Plans were announced on this day for one of the most astonishing – and, some would say, most tacky – casino development in the history of Las Vegas. The idea was to create a replica of the Titanic liner which sank after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage to New York in 1912, claiming more than 1,500 lives.
Guests would be able to stay in the ship itself or in the Iceberg Hotel, which would have been attached to it. They could gamble in the Iceberg Casino, visit Ice Cave tunnels and travel on an underwater glass people-mover to see the underbelly of the “iceberg”, here lined with shops.
They could also “peer through mammoth-sized portholes to get a glimpse of the Titanic in her watery grave and explore the ship as she sleeps below the depths”.
Anybody feeling this might seem a little tasteless could discuss their feelings with fellow passengers in – where else? – the “Club Icebreaker.”
The plans were presented to investment bankers and travel writers by local businessman Bob Stupak, who, three years earlier, had opened the iconic Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas. He said the Titanic project would cost about $1.2 billion.
Mr Stupak said that at 400 feet (120m), his Titanic would be more than twice the length of the ship that sailed in 1912 – and much wider. The suites would be even larger than the original ship’s accommodations “to give it that certain Las Vegas flair.”
His “ship”would be more than 1 million square feet with 1,200 cabins and suites and a public area designed to offer themed tourist attractions. The bottom portion, below and above the waterline, would actually be floating in water.
Directly across the street a multi-level parking garage would be constructed to resemble the Titanic's home port of Southampton, England, Mr. Stupak said.
He added: “The parking structure will be connected to the main deck of the ship by a walkway which will span the Las Vegas Strip and be designed in a 1912 style reflecting the history of that gilded era.”
The project was rejected by Las Vegas City Council and after 67-year-old Mr Stupak’s death from leukaemia in 2009 it sank without trace.
Published: March 6, 2017
Related Articles and Photos
The Titanic Sinks
The wreck of the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, photographed in 2004
April 15, 1912Iceberg Sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic
The Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank on this day in history. She took with her to the bottom of the sea some of the world’s richest people.
April 15, 1912Oscar Hopes Sunk for 'Titanic' Movie Cast
Titanic broke all kinds of records after its release in 1997, but the acclaim that it received failed to be reflected on the cast at the Academy Awards.
March 2, 1998
Articles on Events in April
Martin Luther King Shot Dead
Martin Luther King Jr, the celebrated (‘I have a dream’) civil rights campaigner, was shot dead on this day as he stood on a motel balcony in Memphis Tennessee.
April 4, 1968Lionheart Richard, The Stranger King
Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood’s king is considered one of the great English monarchs. Yet he cost his country a fortune and barely lived there.
April 6, 1199The Man Who Sold His Wife
Most modern readers believe Thomas Hardy was plunging into deep fiction when he wrote about a man selling his wife in, The Mayor of Casterbridge. He wasn't.
April 7, 1832Yes, We Have Some Bananas
A strange fruit went on sale in London on this day, the like of which nobody had seen before. Known to scientists as the Plantaine fruit, it is now unremarkable.
April 10, 1633
