Showcase Mall
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The mall's facade as seen in 2009
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| Location | Paradise, Nevada, United States |
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| Coordinates | 36°06′12″N 115°10′20″W / 36.10342°N 115.17236°WCoordinates: 36°06′12″N 115°10′20″W / 36.10342°N 115.17236°W |
| Address | 3785 Las Vegas Boulevard South |
| Opening date | December 15, 1996 |
| No. of floors | 4 |
Showcase Mall is a shopping center on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is known for its landmark facade, featuring a 100-foot (30 m) tall Coca-Cola bottle and a colossal bag of M&M's.
After the 1989 announcement of plans for the MGM Grand casino and hotel, attorney Bill Unger recognized the investment potential of an adjacent property where he was handling an eviction case. Unger approached his friend, banker Barry Fieldman, for financing, and the two partnered to form Makena Development Corp. in 1992. Makena purchased Island Plaza, a small shopping center on the site that would become the southern part of Showcase Mall. They then beat out MGM in an effort to purchase two gas stations to the north of Island Plaza.
Forest City Enterprises, a national real estate developer with interests in Las Vegas including the Galleria at Sunset mall, signed on to provide additional funding and expertise to the project, taking a 20% ownership stake.
The first business at the mall, the Official All Star Cafe, opened on December 15, 1996. An eight-screen United Artists Theater opened in March 1997.
Island Plaza was demolished in 1999 to make way for the second phase of Showcase Mall, with 43,000 square feet (4,000 m2) of retail space and a $33-million budget. The second phase, south of the original building, opened in 2000, featuring a gift shop with an interior designed to resemble the Grand Canyon.
North of the original portion of the mall, a parcel occupied by a Denny's restaurant was earmarked for a third phase of construction. In 2003, Westgate Resorts announced a $180-million plan to build a 54-story tower with over 700 timeshare units on the Denny's site. Facing strong opposition from MGM Grand and concerns from county officials about the size of the project, the plan was scaled back to 42 stories, but was ultimately rejected by the Clark County Commission.
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