[7] Although the project was originally intended to consist only of shipping containers, the design plans were altered to include metal cubes.
However, when the plans were expanded, the final construction costs were roughly equal with traditional building methods.
[22][23][24] Four months later, the city council approved an ordinance that would allow outdoor entertainment complexes, such as the Container Park, to serve alcohol despite the presence of children.
[27] The Container Park ultimately received a temporary tavern license, but only after agreeing not to include exterior signage for Pinches Tacos, one of the project's restaurants.
[16][35] The Container Park had 153 employees,[36] and 34 tenants,[37][38] including restaurants, bars, art shops, and clothing stores.
[15] To further maintain a unique shopping experience, tenants were strategically chosen by the Downtown Project in order to avoid having two businesses that offer the same products.
[41] The entrance is marked by a giant metal sculpture, depicting a praying mantis that spews fire from its antennae.
Visitors are allowed to attach love locks to the sculpture, which was originally created for the first Life Is Beautiful festival.
[52][53][54] The playground area includes an artificial tree and treehouse made out of four shipping containers, with slides and interactive play panels.
[52] In February 2014, the city council voted to allow minors to enter the playground unattended, as long as they could provide identification.
The nearby Las Vegas Academy had requested the change, as students wanted to perform at the Container Park.
Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
[61] At the end of 2015, some current and former tenants expressed their frustration with the Container Park, saying that they received $75 fines from the Downtown Project for various offenses.
[64] Tenants also complained about a lack of foot traffic on the third floor, in part because of an elevator that would allegedly break down after rain storms.
[62][63][64] At the time, the Container Park had 32 businesses; 14 of them were original tenants from the mall's opening two years earlier.
[65] The Container Park's dome was originally rented out for private events such as cocktail parties, with capacity for 75 people.
[35] In April 2017, the dome began operating as a theater for short educational movies, as well as videos set to music by rock bands.