LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — An iconic condo complex in south Las Vegas has closed its doors for the last time.
Thursday, a judge finalized the sale of the now-empty Paradise Spa complex to developer Taylor Morrison. Built in the 1960s, it was once a luxury hotspot that attracted legendary entertainers, including members of the Rat Pack and Elvis Presley. But over the years, the complex fell into disrepair. Vandalism, squatting, and fires had made many of the units uninhabitable. A few of those fires were deadly.
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“The community around is so happy to see the end of the Paradise Spa and the blight it has become upon the neighborhood,” said Dennis Snapp, president of the Paradise Spa Homeowners Association.
Thursday’s sale marked the end of a year-long effort to close the deal. The units were individually owned, making navigating the sale particularly tricky.
“It was a very complicated process, quite unique,” said Christine Murphy, an attorney representing the HOA. “I don’t think we have seen in the state of Nevada a partition of this magnitude.”
“We did our best for a fair, honest, transparent transaction,” Snapp said.
People still living in the complex in the months leading up to the sale were given a deadline of Aug. 30 to vacate the property. Snapp says it was challenging to get everyone out, in part because he didn’t want tenants to be left with nowhere to go.
“Finding places for everyone to go was a monumental task,” Snapp said. “Emptying the property was a Herculean effort.”
Snapp handed over the keys to Taylor Morrison shortly after the sale closed in court. He said the developer plans to turn the complex into a gated community with 275 housing units. Crews started demolishing some of the buildings earlier this year.
FOX5 asked Snapp, who worked on the property for 11 years, what he’ll remember the most about the Paradise Spa.
“The people,” he said. “I’ve watched many people here live to be up to 100. I’ve watched many of them go. They were my friends.”
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