Las Vegas will hopefully be getting its very own art museum by the end of 2028, with Elaine Wynn and Roger Thomas championing the cause.
Wynn and Thomas joined Wednesday’s Las Vegas City Council meeting to secure land located in Symphony Park, while tearfully announcing plans for the museum, to be called the Las Vegas Museum of Art, as well as the architect for the project: Francis Kéré.
The City Council approved entering into a partnership with the museum and to approve the sale of 1.5 acres of land for a “less than fair market value.”
The 90,000-square-foot proposed art museum will include three exhibitions, gift shop, a cafe and an outside promenade. The museum’s backers have until Jan. 6, 2027, to close on the land purchase and present financial details.
Red Ridge Development will be the developers on the project.
Kéré was the first native African to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize — which Rogers called the “Nobel Prize of architecture”— and is known for his use of sustainable materials and architecture. The design for the museum will be inspired by Guardian Angel Cathedral located off the Strip.
The projected cost for the construction is $150 million, and the total campaign cost of $200 million, with plans to fund via grants, gifts, sponsors and donations. Prior to securing the land, organizers had already reached half of their funding goal. Additionally the museum will partner with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where Wynn serves as co-chair.
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com.
