LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It was a beautiful, clear morning as the music grew louder and flames shot into the air on the Las Vegas Strip.
As the music died out, hundreds of people cheered for The Mirage volcano and the fitting farewell to the resort and casino, which officially closed its doors on Wednesday morning.
WATCH: Mirage volcano's last show
One of the people in attendance was Elaine Wynn, the co-founder of Mirage Resorts and Wynn Resorts. She was a key part of the design process and says she remembers all of the ideas that were being thrown out by her then-husband, Steve.
"Although the Golden Nugget was certainly a wonderful experience, Steve and the rest of us all craved and wanted desperately to join the other guys and gals up here on the Strip in order to do something really spectacular and innovative. It gave us an opportunity to let the imagination run wild and his imagination really did run wild," Wynn said. "Up until that time, this place was sort of steeped in a desert environment culture with a few exceptions. We had the Sands, the Sahara, the Dunes, the Desert Inn. Steve always believed in creating what he kind of referred to as dynamic tension. What can we do to make the people go wow? What can we do to make them think well, who would ever think of building that place here?"
She added some of the ideas almost followed her home.
"So the notion that we could create a tropical paradise with all of the attendant functions that have been referred to in the last days and weeks, with magical gardens and exploding volcanoes and dolphins in the backyard, which by the way, he really wanted to put in our home," Wynn said. "I explained to him, Steve, I don't know a thing about dolphins and if you're so intent on that, let's put them at The Mirage, thinking that I could get him off of that tangent and thank goodness he did and we did."
When the casino opened on Nov. 22, 1989, Wynn remembers guests coming in and giving them a "standing ovation".
"I've never seen anything like that, before or since. To have a massive group of people, that were not connected, rushing into a place they were dying to get to ... They wanted to get a crack at the slot machines, but they were so overwhelmed by their first impressions that they spontaneously just started to applaud and we looked at each other and said we're getting a standing ovation. That, to me, was one of the many standout moments, was the public acknowledging that heavy lift and they instinctively knew that something was afoot and that Las Vegas was keeping the new promise."
That promise included a legacy of setting new hospitality standards that Wynn said has evolved and made it to other properties across the valley.
"We had people come here daily, thousands of employees, who just continued to grow in their professionalism and they developed their skills and they were courteous and respectful and generous and loving. I take the most pride, we all take the most pride that elevating the culture of hospitality service that exists in this city on a scale that exists nowhere else int he world and I believe that it started here," Wynn said. "Thank goodness that so many people came here and went on to infuse all the other properties up and down the Strip and conveyed the lessons in leadership that they learned here. That is one thing I will always be so grateful for."
WATCH: Channel 13's one-on-one interview with Elaine Wynn
Wynn said turning over The Mirage is a "poignant moment" for her.
"I've been to the implosion of many other people's properties and this is the first time I'm at an adjustment of one of our own. I didn't realize the impact of it until I walked in the building again," Wynn said. "I can remember so many details and I'm going to take one last pass here and refresh my memory of where the ice cream parlor was and where the back doors to the campus were and all of the chefs that first started coming here, the individuals I got to know and love who became the nucleus of Mirage Resorts and all of our successive projects."
And as for the future, Wynn said it's time for the next generation of dreamers to add to the Las Vegas Strip.
"We hand over to you, sort of spiritually and symbolically, what I think is the most precious real estate, short of the Hoover Dam, in the state of Nevada and i wish you good luck and nothing but fun and prosperity and taking care of our folks," Wynn said. "Just the very act of creativity and imagination is so valuable, more than ever now. People need to have hope in what human aspiration can bring about and that when we put our minds to it and we have good intentions and big hearts, the world is a beautiful place and it's beautiful because human beings connect and these are the things that bring us together."
