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72-469: In 2001, owner Larry Kifer proposed swapping the Algiers property for a different parcel that the county planned to auction. Kifer stated that the potential road realignment project on the Algiers property had made it difficult to redevelop the land. Kifer dropped his proposal in late 2002, after the county decided not to realign the streets. In 2004, the property was sold to a developer who planned to demolish

144-413: A Big Wheel , Giant Wheel or an observation wheel ) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules, or pods) attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity . Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on

216-503: A 1,000-room hotel on the Algiers property, but he was unable to find investors because they disliked the closed El Rancho resort next door, which had become an eyesore prior to its eventual demolition in October 2000. Kifer said that he wanted to incorporate as much as possible of the Algiers into any new project: "That's something we constantly hear. It's a piece of old Vegas. The place has a lot of history." In July 2001, Chris Kaempfer,

288-670: A Roman traveller who sent letters from Constantinople , Persia, and India, attended a Ramadan festival in Constantinople. He describes the fireworks, floats, and great swings, then comments on riding the Great Wheel: I was delighted to find myself swept upwards and downwards at such speed. But the wheel turned round so rapidly that a Greek who was sitting near me couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted out "soni! soni!" (enough! enough!) Similar wheels also appeared in England in

360-497: A cantilever arm. The cantilever arm was supported in the middle by a tall vertical support, and the cantilever arm itself rotated around its middle pivot point. The design was similar to the earlier Aeriocycle, but the double wheel patented by Courtney allowed the cantilever arm to make a complete rotation, while the Aeriocycle was limited to a seesaw motion. Courtney continued to file additional patents on improved designs through

432-659: A firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders. The wheel rotated on a 71- ton , 45.5-foot (13.9 m) axle comprising what was at that time the world's largest hollow forging, manufactured in Pittsburgh by the Bethlehem Iron Company and weighing 89,320 pounds (40,510 kg), together with two 16-foot-diameter (4.9 m) cast-iron spiders weighing 53,031 pounds (24,054 kg). There were 36 cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving

504-534: A large number of these projects have stalled or failed. Incomplete, delayed, stalled, cancelled, failed, or abandoned proposals: Nippon Moon, described as a "giant observation wheel" by its designers, was reported in September 2013 to be "currently in development". At that time, its height was "currently undisclosed", but "almost twice the scale of the wheel in London". Its location, an unspecified Japanese city,

576-542: A lawyer on behalf of Algiers Inc., proposed that all or a portion of the hotel's property be swapped with a 2.3-acre (0.93 ha) parcel located further south on the Las Vegas Strip at the corner of Harmon Avenue. Outland Development Company planned to construct a 500-foot-tall Ferris wheel on the Harmon property, which was to be auctioned by the county. Under the proposed land swap , Larry Kifer would likely build

648-466: A new hotel, that the people will dissipate. What we've learned is that there is a market for our hotel." By October 2001, two separate appraisers had been hired by Kifer and had both placed the value of the Algiers property at $ 27 million, which county officials considered to be questionably high. Gary Kent, an appraiser hired by the county, found that the Algiers' appraisals included misleading and erroneous statements. In November 2001, Kaempfer stated that

720-460: A peak of approximately 80 feet (24 m). The height and popularity of the Sky Wheel was eclipsed by larger single wheels in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it has since largely disappeared from common use. As of 2018 , there are four known Sky Wheels that remain in operation. In March 1966, Thomas Glen Robinson and Ralph G. Robinson received a patent for a Planetary Amusement Ride, which

792-506: A possibility. In December 2001, county engineers were redesigning Riviera Boulevard to determine how much of the Algiers property would be needed for the realignment, in order to help appraisers determine the value of the land. The final deal was expected to be presented to the county commission in February 2002. By early March 2002, Kent released a report stating that the Algiers land was worth approximately $ 11.2 million. Upon realignment of

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864-453: A retail center on the Harmon property, located next to the Aladdin resort . The proposal would also allow the county to take control of the Algiers property, allowing for the realignment of Circus Circus Drive with Riviera Boulevard to reduce traffic. The Harmon property auction was delayed for three months for more time to examine the Algiers proposal. A potential issue with the proposal was

936-487: A steady clientele consisting of the same customers. At the time, it was one of only several small hotels still operating on the Las Vegas Strip, where megaresorts had become common. In February 2001, Larry Kifer convinced the county that the Algiers property was worth only $ 3.8 million, rather than the $ 8.2 million appraised by the Clark County assessor's office. The Clark County Board of Equalization agreed to lower

1008-468: A time, and each car can carry 8 people. Bussink R60 wheels have operated in Australia ( Brisbane ), Canada ( Niagara Falls ), France ( Paris ), Malaysia ( Kuala Lumpur & Malacca ), México ( Puebla ), UK ( Belfast , Birmingham , Manchester , Sheffield ), US ( Atlanta , Myrtle Beach ), and elsewhere. Other notable transportable wheels include the 60-metre (197 ft) Steiger Ferris Wheel , which

1080-469: A total capacity of 2,160. The wheel carried some 38,000 passengers daily and took 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation, for which the ticket holder paid 50 cents. The Exposition ended in October 1893, and the wheel closed in April 1894 and was dismantled and stored until the following year. It

1152-512: A wheel equipped with externally mounted motorised capsules. In the centreless (sometimes called hubless or spokeless) wheel design, there is no central hub and the rim of the wheel stays fixed in place. Instead, each car travels around the circumference of the rim. The first centreless wheel built was the Big O at Tokyo Dome City in Japan. Its 60-metre (197 ft) height has since been surpassed by

1224-609: Is a surviving example of 19th-century Ferris wheels. Erected in 1897 in the Wurstelprater section of Prater public park in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna , Austria , to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I 's Golden Jubilee , it has a height of 64.75 metres (212 ft) and originally had 30 passenger cars. A demolition permit for the Riesenrad was issued in 1916, but due to a lack of funds with which to carry out

1296-475: Is a wonderful piece of old Las Vegas,. It's one of the things that if in another city it would become a historical place ... It's the archetypical 1950s-style of the Las Vegas hotel." As of 2001, the Algiers had 106 hotel rooms, including one suite. At that time, the hotel also featured video poker machines in the bar. After the hotel's closure, the roadside sign was donated to Las Vegas' Neon Museum . During

1368-526: Is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions , and over the years has featured in numerous films (including Madame Solange d`Atalide (1914), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Third Man (1949), The Living Daylights (1987), Before Sunrise (1995) and novels. Chronology of world's tallest wheels Timeline 116°45'04"E Following the huge success of the 135-metre (443 ft) London Eye since it opened in 2000, giant Ferris wheels have been proposed for many other cities; however,

1440-617: Is the 167.6-metre (550 ft) High Roller in Las Vegas, Nevada , which opened to the public in March 2014. The term Ferris wheel comes from the maker of one of the first examples constructed for Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. in 1893. Modern versions have been called observation wheels . In 1892, when the incorporation papers for the Ferris Wheel Company (constructors of

1512-508: Is the use of twin sided support and gravity-oriented capsules. "Pleasure wheels", whose passengers rode in chairs suspended from large wooden rings turned by strong men, may have originated in 17th-century Bulgaria. The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608–1667 describes and illustrates " severall Sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their Feast of Biram " on 17 May 1620 at Philippopolis (now Plovdiv ) in

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1584-621: The Dunes , the Sahara , and the Sands . In 1996, the Algiers restaurant was leased to Marilyn Johnson, who opened Tommy's Rib & Steakhouse at the hotel. Covering the restaurant walls were framed black-and-white photographs of old Las Vegas hotels and celebrities from decades earlier. At night, Johnson played music from the 1940s through the 1960s, including Bing Crosby , Johnny Mathis , and Nat King Cole . Johnson said about her customers, "They like

1656-580: The Ottoman Balkans . Among means " lesse dangerous and troublesome " was one: like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key and turned in that Manner, whereon Children sitt on little seats hunge round about in severall parts thereof, And though it turne right upp and downe, and that the Children are sometymes on the upper part of the wheele, and sometymes on the lower, yett they alwaies sitt upright. Five years earlier, in 1615, Pietro Della Valle ,

1728-1087: The 145-metre (475.7 ft) high Bailang River Bridge Ferris Wheel on the upper deck of the Bailang River Bridge in Shandong Province , China, which opened in 2017. The first centreless wheel in North America opened in January 2019 at the indoor Méga Parc in Quebec City , Canada. The 23.5 m (77 ft) wheel at Méga Parc was designed and manufactured by Larson International. Transportable Ferris wheels are designed to be operated at multiple locations, as opposed to fixed wheels which are usually intended for permanent installation. Small transportable designs may be permanently mounted on trailers , and can be moved intact. Larger transportable wheels are designed to be repeatedly dismantled and rebuilt, some using water ballast instead of

1800-663: The 1500s. The generic term "Ferris wheel", now used in American English for all such structures, has become the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in the United States. The tallest Ferris wheel, the 250-metre (820 ft) Ain Dubai in the United Arab Emirates , opened in October 2021 but is no longer in operation. The current record holder since 2014 of a Ferris wheel in operation

1872-530: The 17th century, and subsequently elsewhere around the world, including India, Romania, and Siberia. A Frenchman, Antonio Manguino, introduced the idea to America in 1848, when he constructed a wooden pleasure wheel to attract visitors to his start-up fair in Walton Spring, Georgia . In 1892, William Somers installed three fifty-foot wooden wheels at Asbury Park, New Jersey ; Atlantic City, New Jersey ; and Coney Island , New York. The following year he

1944-577: The 1950s to make them more portable, and at about the same time, the Velare brothers patented the "Space Wheel", a side-by-side double with four total Ferris wheels. The design was later sold to the Allan Herschell Company in 1959 and marketed as the "Sky Wheel"; the first sale as the Sky Wheel was to 20th Century Rides in October 1960. The Sky Wheel seated up to 32 riders in 16 two-person cars, with 8 cars per wheel, and riders reached

2016-783: The 1990s, the hotel was featured in the films Leaving Las Vegas and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery . In 2003, the hotel was photographed for the Italian edition of Elle . Krystle Sands Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 224717725 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:38:14 GMT Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called

2088-695: The Algiers and build the Krystle Sands condominium tower on the land. The Algiers closed on August 31, 2004, and was demolished, while the Krystle Sands project was cancelled in 2005. Two years later, Turnberry Associates began construction of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort on the former Algiers and Thunderbird properties. The Algiers opened on November 25, 1953. It was built by the Thunderbird hotel and casino (later

2160-412: The Algiers' appearance throughout the years, he said, "I like it. A lot of people like it ... There haven't been any big changes. Just pictures and paint." Design elements that were common to older Las Vegas hotels included the roadside sign and the gold raceways. The hotel's theme of a desert paradise was also common among several older Las Vegas hotels dating as early as the 1950s, including the Aladdin ,

2232-412: The Algiers, stated that her mother heavily relied on Walsh: "They were very, very good friends as well. She depended on him for everything -- his business advice and friendship." City and state politicians regularly gathered at the Algiers for afternoon meetings. In the 1970s, Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan stayed in a hotel room at the Algiers. Bulletproof glass was installed in O'Callaghan's room and

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2304-568: The El Rancho), which was located at the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip . The 110-room Algiers was built as a sister property to deal with an overflow of guests at the adjacent Thunderbird. The hotel was built by Thunderbird developer Marion Hicks and his wife Lillian. The Algiers was constructed on 3.55 acres (1.44 ha), located on what would become the northeast corner of Riviera Boulevard and South Las Vegas Boulevard . The hotel

2376-484: The appraisal price to $ 5.7 million, the same appraisal price as the year before. The reduction resulted in a 29-percent cut from Kifer's tax bill. That month, Larry Kifer announced plans for a new casino and 38-floor hotel tower to be built on the property. In March 2001, Larry Kifer said, "We've worked on keeping the property in great condition. We continue to look at opportunities for redevelopment." That month, Kifer also said that he had previously been approved to develop

2448-663: The case was dismissed. The original Ferris wheel, sometimes referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was designed and constructed by Ferris Jr. and opened in 1893; however, an earlier wheel was created for the New York State fair in 1854, created by two Erie Canal workers. With a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft), it was the tallest attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois , where it opened to

2520-513: The county's possible realignment of the nearby roads had prevented Kifer from developing his property into a 1,087-room, 38-story hotel and timeshare resort that would have been named Grand Prix Casino Hotel. That month, the Clark County Commission voted 4-2 to begin negotiations for the land swap. Kaempfer stated that if Kifer purchased the Harmon property, he would likely lease it to another company, with Outland Development as

2592-475: The destruction, it survived. Following the demolition of the 96-metre (315 ft) Grande Roue de Paris in 1920, the Riesenrad became the world's tallest extant Ferris wheel. In 1944 it burnt down, but was rebuilt the following year with 15 passenger cars, and remained the world's tallest extant wheel until its 97th year, when the 85-metre (279 ft) Technocosmos was constructed for Expo '85 , at Tsukuba, Ibaraki , Japan . Still in operation today, it

2664-429: The event that the 1,000-room hotel resort was built. Also noted by the country was whether the road realignment at the Algiers property was really needed, as the traffic study for the area had been conducted 10 years earlier and was considered no longer valid because of changing traffic patterns. The Algiers had 31 employees as of July 2001. At the time, Larry Kifer said, "We used to worry all the time, every time they built

2736-536: The hotel was approved in late September 2004, and had been completed by March 2005. That month, Schinz cancelled the Krystle Sands project and sold the property for $ 97 million to Turnberry Associates , which owned the nearby Turnberry Place complex, as well as the former El Rancho property. In 2007, Turnberry began building the Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort on the former El Rancho and Algiers properties. The resort opened in 2023, following construction delays. The Algiers featured an Arabian / Persian theme. The hotel

2808-880: The lineup at Magic Mountain when the park opened in 1971, and was removed in 1980 when Six Flags took over ownership of both parks. Swiss broker Intamin marketed a similar series of double wheels manufactured by Waagner-Biro , comprising a vertical column supporting a straight cantilever arm, with each end of the cantilever arm ending in a spoked Ferris wheel. The first Intamin produced was Giant Wheel at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania , which operated from 1973 to 2004. Other double wheels made by Waagner-Biro/Intamin include Zodiac ( Kings Island , Mason, Ohio ; 1975–86; moved to Wonderland Sydney and operated 1989–2004), Scorpion ( Parque de la Ciudad , Buenos Aires , Argentina; 1982–2003), and Double Wheel ( Kuwait Entertainment City , Kuwait City , Kuwait; 1984–91). A triple variant

2880-505: The nearby streets, the property value would drop to approximately $ 6.8 million, according to Kent. Later that month, Clark County's Public Works division was told to proceed with negotiations for the land swap. However, county commissioners wanted assurances that the Algiers building would not require expensive cleanup costs such as the removal of asbestos . Mandalay Resort Group , owners of the Circus Circus resort, publicly protested

2952-532: The old-time atmosphere." According to Johnson, many customers told her that the restaurant looked exactly the same as it did around 1960. A bar window, boarded up since 1969, was reopened in October 1999 to let in sunlight and provide a view of the hotel's courtyard . By 2001, aside from routine maintenance, the property remained virtually unchanged since its opening. Larry Kifer said, "Our thought has always been to maintain it as it was, consistently remodeling but with same decor." The Las Vegas Sun noted in 2001 that

Algiers Hotel - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-462: The original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel) were filed, the purpose of the company was stated as: [construction and operation of] "wheels of the Ferris or other types for the purpose of observation or amusement". Design variation includes single (cantilevered) or twin sided support for the wheel and whether the cars or capsules are oriented upright by gravity or by electric motors. The most prevalent design

3096-417: The outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These cars are often referred to as capsules or pods. The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago ; although much smaller wooden wheels of similar idea predate Ferris's wheel, dating perhaps to

3168-560: The permanent foundations of their fixed counterparts. Fixed wheels are also sometimes dismantled and relocated. Larger examples include the original Ferris Wheel , which operated at two sites in Chicago, Illinois , and a third in St. Louis, Missouri ; Technocosmos /Technostar, which moved to Expoland , Osaka , after Expo '85 , Tsukuba, Ibaraki , for which it was built, ended; and Cosmo Clock 21 , which added 5 metres (16 ft) onto its original 107.5-metre (353 ft) height when erected for

3240-623: The property was quiet, stating that, "Save for the Riviera looming over the Algiers' south side, one would never know by standing in its courtyard that the hotel is on the Strip. […] Standing on the small outdoor patio near the hotel entrance, the clicking of yellow light bulbs flickering from the hotel's red-painted restaurant is the only sound you hear." Hal Rothman, a history professor for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas , said at that time, "It

3312-461: The public on June 21, 1893. It was intended to rival the 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower , the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition . Ferris was a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , bridge-builder. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh,

3384-485: The realignment of Riviera Boulevard with nearby Circus Circus Drive, thereby reducing traffic. Walsh remained as general manager until his death in July 1996, at the age of 81. Marrianne Kifer and her business partner, ex-husband Larry Kifer, had been in charge of operations at the Algiers for some time prior to Walsh's death, and planned to continue operating it. Up to 2001, the hotel had remained nearly unchanged, and had built

3456-411: The rim and independently rotated by electric motors, as opposed to wheels with cars suspended from the rim and kept upright by gravity, are uncommon. Typically they are called 'Observation wheels' but there is no standardised terminology. Only a few Ferris wheels with motorised capsules have been built. Official conceptual renderings of the proposed 190.5 m (625 ft) New York Wheel also show

3528-484: The road project. Kaempfer also said that previous potential sales of the Algiers had been derailed "because any time someone wanted to buy the property, Public Works would say the realignment would cut the Algiers in two." Kaempfer asked the commission to pass a resolution to prevent the road realignment from happening in the near future, saying, "We want to make it clear to everyone that they are not going to ask for that road, so we won't be burdened with that roadway being in

3600-464: The road realignment in April 2002, stating that it would disrupt traffic flow into the resort's parking lot. A decision on the land swap was postponed in May 2002, due to the objections raised by Mandalay Resort Group. In December 2002, Kaempfer said that the county no longer needed or wanted the road realignment, and that there was no desire to swap the Algiers land if the county did not plan to proceed with

3672-477: The same time, the other wheels remained raised and continued to rotate in a near-vertical plane at considerable height. The lowered horizontal wheel was brought to a standstill for simultaneous loading and unloading of all its passenger cars. The Sky Whirl was also known as a triple Ferris wheel, Triple Giant Wheel, or Triple Tree Wheel; it was 33 metres (108 ft) in height. The Sky Whirl in Santa Clara

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3744-760: The second time at Minato Mirai 21 , Yokohama , in 1999. The world's tallest transportable wheel today is the 78-metre (256 ft) Bussink Design R80XL . One of the most famous transportable wheels is the 60-metre (197 ft) Roue de Paris , originally installed on the Place de la Concorde in Paris for the 2000 millennium celebrations. Roue de Paris left France in 2002 and in 2003–04 operated in Birmingham and Manchester , England . In 2005 it visited first Geleen then Amsterdam , Netherlands , before returning to England to operate at Gateshead . In 2006 it

3816-566: The spider on the other end of the cantilever would continue to rotate in a near-vertical plane. Robinson sold two of these rides – Astrowheel, which operated at the former Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston , Texas, and Galaxy , which operated at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California . Both were manufactured by Astron International Corporation. Astrowheel was part of the original lineup of rides when Astroworld opened in 1968; it

3888-412: The three ends of the supporting arm. The supporting arm would in turn rotate around its central hub as a single unit about the top of the supporting column. The axis about which the supporting arm turned was offset from vertical (i.e., the plane of rotation was not horizontal), so that as the supporting arm rotated, each wheel was raised and lowered. When lowered, one wheel was horizontal at ground level. At

3960-406: The value of the Algiers property, which was lower than the Harmon property. Kifer's attorneys stated that the Algiers land was worth nearly as much as the $ 21 million Harmon property, despite Kifer's earlier stance that the property was only worth $ 3.8 million. Kifer's attorneys stated that the differing values were based on the property with the outdated hotel structure on it and the property value in

4032-475: The way every time we try to do something with that property." In May 2004, the Kifers announced that the property was in the process of being sold to F.W. Schinz, a developer who wanted to demolish the hotel to make room for the Krystle Sands condominium tower. At the time, the hotel had 25 employees, and was scheduled to close between June and September 2004. The Algiers closed on August 31, 2004. Demolition of

4104-422: Was "currently under wraps", and its funding had "yet to be entirely secured". Commissioned by Ferris Wheel Investment Co., Ltd., and designed by UNStudio in collaboration with Arup, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Experientia, it was expected to have 32 individually themed capsules and take 40 minutes to rotate once. The Shanghai Star, initially planned as a 200-metre (656 ft) tall wheel to be built by 2005,

4176-456: Was a distinct double wheel design. In the Robinsons' patent, the cantilever arm was bent at a slightly obtuse angle, and the cars were carried on a spoked "spider" rotating structure at each end of the cantilever. With the obtuse-angle cantilever, one spider could be lowered to the ground in a horizontal plane so that all the cars on that spider could be unloaded and loaded simultaneously, while

4248-585: Was considered for Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure , and a 150-metre (492 ft) wheel proposed for location near Sparrow Hills . Another giant wheel planned for Prospekt Vernadskogo for 2002 was also never built. At some malls and amusement parks indoor Ferris wheels were realized. The largest of its kind has a diameter of 47.6 metres (156 ft) and is situated in the 95 metres (312 ft) high Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center in Ashgabat . Wheels with passenger cars mounted external to

4320-494: Was custom designed for the Marriott Corporation and debuted at both Marriott's Great America parks (now Six Flags Great America , Gurnee, Illinois , and California's Great America , Santa Clara ) in 1976 as Sky Whirl . Each ride had three main components: the three spiders/wheels with their passenger cars; the triple-spoked supporting arm; and the single central supporting column. Each wheel rotated about one of

4392-404: Was designed and built with large hotel rooms, as it was originally conceived as an extended stay hotel . The Algiers' interior included chandeliers and wall-mounted Tiffany lamps . Hotel rooms featured white-painted wood paneling. The Algiers' facade was made of stucco and included several stores, each one topped by crown-shaped neon lights, similar to a Persian gateway or spire . Each store

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4464-697: Was erected at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok , Thailand , and by 2008 had made its way to Antwerp , Belgium . Roue de Paris is a Ronald Bussink series R60 design using 40,000 litres (8,800 imperial gallons; 11,000 US gallons) of water ballast to provide a stable base. The R60 weighs 365 tonnes (402 short tons), and can be erected in 72 hours and dismantled in 60 hours by a specialist team. Transport requires seven 20-foot container lorries, ten open trailer lorries, and one closed trailer lorry. Its 42-passenger cars can be loaded either 3 or 6 at

4536-528: Was granted the first U.S. patent for a "Roundabout". George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. rode on Somers' wheel in Atlantic City prior to designing his wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition . In 1893 Somers filed a lawsuit against Ferris for patent infringement; however, Ferris and his lawyers successfully argued that the Ferris Wheel and its technology differed greatly from Somers' wheel, and

4608-477: Was left in place afterwards. Paul Price, a former writer for the Las Vegas Sun , would also visit the hotel's bar to write his daily column. Las Vegas sheriff John Moran regularly ate lunch at the Algiers' restaurant during the 1980s. The Algiers would later become popular among sales people, senior citizens, and Europeans. In 1991, the Algiers property was earmarked for possible condemnation to allow for

4680-644: Was located directly north of the eventual site for the Riviera hotel-casino , and across the street from the eventual site of the Circus Circus hotel-casino . Jack Walsh, the general manager for the Thunderbird during the late 1950s, became the Algiers' general manager in 1961. Walsh and his wife, Blanche, lived at the property from that point on. Marianne Kifer, the Hicks' daughter and the eventual owner of

4752-407: Was made of brick, and its pink-and-turquoise painted exterior surrounded a swimming pool and a parking lot for guests. The Algiers operated a gift shop, as well as the adjacent Candlelight Wedding Chapel . The hotel also included a lounge. Palm trees and gazebos were situated near the hotel's pool, located in the center of the property and surrounded by the motel -style hotel structures. The Algiers

4824-458: Was removed in 1981 to make way for the Warp 10 ride. Astrowheel had an eight-spoked spider at the end of each arm, and each tip had a separate car for eight cars in total on each end. In contrast, Galaxy had double the capacity with a four-spoked spider at the end of each arm; each tip bore an independent four-spoked sub-spider for sixteen cars in total on each end. Like Astrowheel, Galaxy was part of

4896-651: Was revised to 170 metres (558 ft), with a completion date set in 2007, but then cancelled in 2006 due to "political incorrectness". An earlier proposal for a 250-metre (820 ft) structure, the Shanghai Kiss, with capsules ascending and descending a pair of towers which met at their peaks instead of a wheel, was deemed too expensive at £100m. Rus-3000, a 170-metre (558 ft) wheel planned to open in 2004 in Moscow , has since been reported cancelled. Subsequently, an approximately 180-metre (591 ft) wheel

4968-427: Was separated by a section of vertical, polished gold raceways that featured chasing lights . Located on opposite ends of the facade were neon signs spelling out the hotel's name; the left side featured lettering in rose and ruby coloring, while the right side featured a metal sign box with the hotel's name on it. The hotel also had a roadside pole sign, located along Las Vegas Boulevard, which was lit in neon lighting and

5040-585: Was the world's tallest transportable wheel when it began operating in 1980. It has 42 passenger cars, and weighs 450 tons. On October 11, 2010, it collapsed at the Kramermarkt in Oldenburg , Germany , during deconstruction. A double Ferris wheel designed to include a horizontal turntable was patented in 1939 by John F. Courtney, working for Velare & Courtney. In Courtney's design, there were two independent Ferris wheels, each rotating at either end of

5112-523: Was then rebuilt on Chicago's North Side, near the high-income enclave of Lincoln Park . William D. Boyce , then a local resident, filed a Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel to have it removed, but without success. It operated there from October 1895 until 1903, when it was again dismantled, then transported by rail to St. Louis for the 1904 World's Fair and finally destroyed by controlled demolition using dynamite on May 11, 1906. The Wiener Riesenrad ( German for "Viennese Giant Wheel")

5184-405: Was topped by a crown. The Algiers' signs were manufactured by YESCO , and were refinished by Larsen Sign Company in 1992. The hotel structures were accessed through an archway at the left end of the facade. A second parking lot, narrow in size, was located along the facade. The Algiers was noted as having an appearance similar to older Las Vegas hotels. In 1995, when Walsh was asked why he retained

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