Rumors have gone around for many years that Luxor will, eventually, be swallowed whole by the desert (along with the ghosts of three construction workers who were killed during construction that reportedly haunt the joint; see QoD 3/17/08). But as far as we can tell, the sinking of Luxor was just that: a rumor. (Time will tell if it isn't.)
The latest question about Luxor, actually, is: Is it collapsing?
Last March, according to a story in the Las Vegas Review Journal, county building inspectors took a close look at two support columns in the basement of Luxor and found that neither was supporting anything. The county ordered MGM Resorts International to vacate the basement offices (human resources) on the possibly unsupported side of the basement.
Based on the inspection, MRI hired an engineering firm to do a full structural inspection. The engineers determined that the columns weren't part of the 30-story pyramid’s original plans; thus, they weren't load bearing. Even so, MRI finished the columns.
But the county inspectors (who have been on a mission to inspect the megaresorts since the RJ uncovered "extensive undocumented remodeling at several local Harrah's hotels") claim that completing the columns doesn't address a structural issue involving the load capacity of the casino level.
The vacated basement space has been supported with temporary columns while engineers finalize corrective plans for what the county inspectors have deemed a "deficient slab." Apparently, however, the deficiency isn't worrisome enough for the affected areas of the casino floor – the LAX nightclub occupies part of it -- to be abandoned while corrective measures are implemented.
So we don't think that the casino floor will collapse, nor will the Mojave open up to ingest Luxor, anytime soon.
