Owners of the Miracle Mile Shops are planning a 60,000-square-foot renovation of the mall's south end, on Harmon Avenue, as seen May 5, 2014. The Morrocan-themed exterior décor will be replaced as part of the project.
Owners of the Miracle Mile Shops plan to rip out the last exterior remnants of the mall’s former North African decor to open new restaurants.
Tristar Capital and RFR Holding are planning a 60,000-square-foot makeover of the south end of the mall on Harmon Avenue.
They have not said how much the project will cost, nor have they signed tenants for the space or obtained building permits. But they want to start construction next year.
General Manager Jerry Irwin said the owners plan to bring four new restaurants to the Strip shopping hub, with indoor and outdoor seating and live music. The area slated for renovation is mostly vacant, save for the Todai sushi buffet.
Restaurant management did not respond to a request for comment.
Outside, the south end looks like a faux-medieval fortress, a holdover from the Miracle Mile’s early days as the Moroccan-themed Desert Passage.
The exterior decor will be torn down as part of the project, but other remnants of Desert Passage will remain inside the mall, Irwin said.
The 500,000-square-foot shopping mall, which is connected to Planet Hollywood, opened in 2000. Tristar and RFR bought it in 2004 and launched a $130 million renovation and rebranding, turning it into the Miracle Mile Shops in 2007.
As of September, the mall was 95 percent leased.