In an apparently rollicking press conference on Tuesday, Vegas mogul Steve Wynn showed off new designs of his planned casino-resort on the banks of the Mystic River and upped its estimated cost to $2,000,000,000 from $1,700,000,000. He also revealed the slightly incongruous name: Wynn Boston Harbor.
Though it's not on the Harbor. It's in Everett. On the Mystic. But, to Wynn, according to the Globe's Mark Arsenault, that's details, details: "We’re connected to it." Got it?
Wynn also revealed a reimagined casino-resort that will have a less blockier look than the originally conceived design. It will be curvier (see above). And! A $27,000,000 Popeye sculpture by the artist Jeff Koons will visually dominate the casino-resort's lobby (look at the base of the stairs in the rendering from Wynn below).
Finally, Wynn said he expects to officially break ground on the Wynn Boston Harbor sometime in July, despite fierce opposition from Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, who worries about the impact on the surrounding region. As for Wynn, he sees that worry as nothing more than a pretext for some kind of municipal payout: "We’re done paying. The chances of the mayor of Somerville getting any extra money from us are zero."
It's so on. Or maybe not. After all, it's looked inevitable before.
- Wynn names new casino in Everett [Herald]
- Steve Wynn Shows Off New Name, New Design for Everett Casino [Globe]
- Is Everett's Massive Casino-Resort Doomed? Yes and No [Curbed Boston]
- Massive Boston-Area Casino-Resort Looks Inevitable Now [Curbed Boston]