hollywood billionaire

Chapter 531 Las Vegas Starscape (Part 2)
The largest shopping mall in the United States to date is the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, with a staggering 560 million square feet of retail lease space.

What is this concept?
The total length of the stores is approximately 4.3 miles, twice the north-south distance of Central Park in New York City. The shopping center is large enough to accommodate seven Yankees baseball stadiums, 32 Boeing 747 passenger planes, and even 258 Statue of Liberty statues. If a visitor planned to spend ten minutes in each store, it would take at least 86 hours to visit them all without sleeping.

The vast and sparsely populated Midwest, along with the long-standing "spreading out" urban development logic of American society, are vividly reflected in these oversized commercial complexes.

The second-largest shopping mall in the United States by area is located in Houston, Texas, the largest state in the South. That is The Galleria, which opened in 1970 and has a retail lease area of ​​exactly 300 million square feet.

In other words, if the shopping center planned by Stargazer in Las Vegas is successfully completed, it will be tied for second place with The Galleria. On the West Coast, it will be far ahead of the competition, and for a long time, no one will be able to match it.

After all, the era of massive infrastructure development in the United States has passed, and the exorbitant land prices on the West Coast have deterred real estate developers interested in building mega-shopping malls. The West Coast Plaza, currently ranked number one on the West Coast, and the Del Amour Fashion Center, ranked number two, are both products of half a century ago. One was built in 1967, and the other in 1961.

"The Halo Gateway has a total of seven floors, four above ground and three below ground. The underground levels three to two are parking lots, and from the first to the fourth floor are various luxury flagship stores, high-end designer brand stores, specialty food courts, fine restaurants, boutique bookstores, art galleries, and everything you can find in a giant shopping complex. It has everything you need here."

Michael Nadler vividly described the grand vision for the Las Vegas Star Mall.

"There is also a fifth floor, which is a rooftop garden connecting the two towers. Surrounding the garden are several upscale restaurants that overlook the entire project and even the Las Vegas skyline, as well as a luxury IMAX theater with 12 screens."

"And this is just the beginning. Stepping through the cool indoor mall and pushing open the doors to the outdoors, you are instantly transported to another world. This is not Venice, not a European town, but a true oasis that has grown out of the desert. It will not be a replica of the outdoor shopping streets that Las Vegas has seen before; it will be a true tribute to the Mojave Desert on which the city thrives. Modern society has indeed not given enough attention to desert civilizations, and the Oasis outdoor pedestrian street gives us the opportunity to celebrate this culture and ensure that it is seen and remembered by the world."

"Date palms, olive trees, fig trees, yucca, cacti, succulents, lavender, sage... Planting these plants in Las Vegas not only saves water to a great extent but also enhances the regional character and creates an authentic oasis atmosphere. There are also mud-brick buildings and arcades originating from the Pueblo culture of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Americas; courtyards and patios common in Islamic and Mediterranean architecture; and exquisite wooden carved screens and honeycomb grids from Arabic architecture. The highlight is the qanats, invented by the Persians three thousand years ago. The Oasis outdoor pedestrian street incorporates this as part of its thematic narrative, designing winding water channels that flow along the street and eventually converge into the central oasis, symbolically recreating this ancient wisdom while providing a visually refreshing experience."

“That sounds interesting.” His son’s description made Jerry Nadler’s eyebrows rise higher and higher, and his expression became more and more relaxed. “Are there any pictures? You’ve described it so vividly, there must be pictures, right?”

“Of course.” Michael Nadler took out his phone from his pocket, tapped it twice, and held it up to his father’s face.

“Oh, this really looks fantastic.” Jerry Nadler put on his reading glasses, examined it carefully for a moment, then turned his gaze to Han Yi, a smile appearing in his eyes. “Who created these concept designs…?”

“We haven’t officially launched this project yet, or rather, we haven’t officially registered an entity to operate it, so so far, everything is being done on a personal level.” At this point, Han Yi extended his right hand, pointed at Michael Nadler beside him, and smiled, “Mike has been a great help to us in this regard. He introduced us to a friend of his who is now the deputy director at SOM. A great guy, he treated this as a side job, and spent two months with his temporary team to finally complete this draft proposal.”

SOM, short for Skidmore, Oyns and Merrill Architects, is a Chicago-based architecture, urban planning, and engineering firm founded in 1936. A pioneer of American modernist architecture, SOM has designed some of the world's most important architectural and urban projects, including the Willis Tower, One World Trade Center, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The master plans for Paris's Charenton-Betsy borough, London's New Covent Garden, San Francisco's Treasure Island, and Detroit's East Riverfront urban development are also attributed to SOM.

“Anthony,” Michael Nadler explained to his father, “Anthony Tru, you’ve met him before.”

"I have seen?"

“He was in a business fraternity with me before, and he even attended my graduation ceremony in 07.” Michael thought for a moment. “Last year, he also attended the Stonewall riots memorial event, donated money, and spoke with you.”

"Brown hair, tall, big ears...that Jewish boy?" Jerry Nadler's way of remembering people was quite unique.

“Yes.” Tru, a surname originating from Germany, is mostly used by Jews. “A great kid, very righteous.” Jerry Nadler nodded. “He is also clearly very talented, and I am impressed by his ability to design such a culturally rich solution.”

“He is certainly very talented…but actually, it was Mr. Han who proposed turning this place into a desert civilization exhibition hall.” Michael paused, then corrected softly.

“Really?” Jerry Nadler’s eyebrows rose even higher, and the wrinkles on his forehead were now as deep as if they had been carved by an axe. “Then Mr. Han, you have also left a deep impression on me.”

“I’m just someone who talks incessantly about ideas, while Mike and Anthony are the ones who put them on paper,” Han Yi said modestly. “I can’t claim ownership of these ideas. My inspiration comes from one of the greatest cultural exchange projects in our civilization: the Silk Road. The desert is the crossroads of East and West, a place where various cultures collide and civilizations merge, creating a truly extraordinary scene. That’s why I want to create an oasis in the desert of Las Vegas. Oases attract people, people build markets, markets foster exchange, and the ancient wisdom and romantic spirit of surviving and thriving in harsh environments are exactly what our time needs.”

“Well said.” Jerry was quite satisfied with Han Yi’s impeccable answer. “I agree with you. The Near East was once the hub of the integration of Eastern and Western civilizations, and the United States should take over this role in the new era… This is the real remedy to make our country great again.”

"Feel the same."

"I saw the Twin Towers, I saw the shopping mall, and I saw the outdoor pedestrian street. The adventure park was already there, and the desert-style pedestrian street extends all the way to this building that looks like a Bedouin nomadic tent, so it doesn't seem out of place..."

After a conversation, Jerry Nadler was clearly very interested in the ambitious StarCraft project in Las Vegas. He drew several circles and squares on the table and then asked questions with great interest.

"So, what about that 32-acre plot of land? The Las Vegas festival and celebration venue. You said you wanted to build world-class live entertainment facilities there?"

"Yes."

What kind of live performance facilities?

“A facility that can represent our blue planet… Mr. Nadler, symbolically and literally.”

Han Yi also took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked the screen, skillfully opened the photo album, and then, through Michael Nadler's hand, placed it in front of Jerry Nadler.

"This will not only forever change the face of Las Vegas, but also the face of the entire cultural industry in the 21st century."

Upon hearing this, Jerry eagerly turned his gaze to Han Yi's phone screen. What appeared on it was an extremely simple, extremely rough hand-drawn pencil sketch.

A round ball containing a stick figure.

“I call this live performance facility…”

"Las Vegas Ball".

(End of this chapter)