McCarran's Terminal 2, the former charter and international terminal before T3 debuted June 27, was constructed between 1986 and 1997 on the site where two separate terminals, for American Airlines and Pacific Southwest, had been located in the 1970s and '80s. It was definitely past its shelf-life or, as Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker put it, back in June of last year, "We've been keeping the place together with baling wire and bubble gum. It's no longer a functional terminal so we need to tear it down."
Still, this is Las Vegas where, if we have to tear something down, as we do on a regular basis, we generally like to do it in style, so it's no surprise that Rosemary Vassiliadis, McCarran's deputy director, countered Walker's simple "knock it down" strategy and suggested T2 should be imploded. "The one thing Terminal 2 has is one of the best views anywhere in he city. If you go on that roof, it is breathtaking. How cool would that be? We just sell it to Hollywood."
It wouldn't be the first time in Las Vegas' history, by any means: The Landmark's implosion was incorporated into Mars Attacks! and the implosion of the Sands was featured in The Cooler. We haven't seen it, but gather that Steve Wynn build a whole TV movie around the implosion of the Dunes, filmed to promote Treasure Island.
Still, we heard nothing further about the concept of a Hollywood ending for Terminal 2 since that interview last June, so we took the opportunity to inquire when we called for details about Terminal 3 for Monday's QoD. What we learned is that no news is no news, and nothing as yet has been decided one way or another. It probably depends in large part on whether a suitable script comes along in a timely fashion -- evidently, nothing specific is on the table right now -- but more importantly, we're guessing, will be safety considerations and the smooth running of airport operations, which would take precedence over any media circus. We imagine the powers that be will want to attend to the T2 issue sooner rather than later, so it's probably most likely that a regular controlled demolition will take place, sans cameras, but if we hear to the contrary, our readers will be among the first to know.
