The 67-year-old casino was demolished to make way for a new stadium owned by the Oakland Athletics baseball team.
Las Vegas said goodbye to the Tropicana casino early Wednesday morning, bringing down the last true mob-era structure on the Strip.
Accompanied by fireworks, the implosion reduced the casino’s hotel towers to rubble in a predawn spectacle.
This marked the city’s first major implosion since 2016 as part of a project to clear land for a $1.5 billion stadium for the Oakland Athletics baseball team. The team is relocating to Sin City as part of its push to become a sports hub.
The Tropicana Las Vegas, which had operated for 67 years before closing in April, was one of the Strip’s oldest properties and a rare remnant of the city’s colorful past.
Opening in 1957 with 300 rooms, it cost $15 million to build—a record at that time.
In its heyday, the “Tiffany of the Strip” was renowned for its luxurious design and reputation as a celebrity hangout.
The Rat Pack’s Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. were all regulars.
