Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas at 1,149 feet tall.

Stratosphere Las Vegas is a tower, hotel, and casino located on Las Vegas Boulevard just north of the Las Vegas Strip. Its tower is also the tallest observation tower, and the 9th-tallest freestanding structure in the United States, as well as being the tallest structure in Las Vegas.

The Stratosphere was conceived by Bob Stupak as an addition to his Vegas World casino. At the conception of the project, one of the planned rides was to be a giant ape that would carry riders up and down on one of the tower’s columns. The original plans envisioned the Stratosphere exceeding the height of the CNN Tower at 1,815 ft., making it the world’s tallest freestanding structure at that time. However, due to possible interference with nearby McCarran International Airport, and any possible flights that come through Las Vegas, the Tower’s proposed height shrank multiple times, bringing it to its current height of 1,149 ft. On August 29, 1993, the Tower caught fire while still under construction. No one was injured, but the fire forced repairs and rebuilding that led to numerous delays in the construction of the Tower.

For the latest information on The Stratosphere including rides, restaurants and bookings, you can check out The Stratosphere at World Casino Directory.

Photo By:  Timjarrett at en.wikipedia
Date Taken: November 2003

Tags: hotel, On this date, Stratosphere