Las Vegas said farewell to the Tropicana in an impressive implosion early Wednesday, marking the end of the last significant mob-associated building on the Strip.
The hotel’s towers came down in a spectacle that included fireworks. This event marked the city’s first casino implosion in nearly ten years, reflecting Las Vegas’s penchant for renewal and its storied history of controlled demolitions alongside gambling.
The demolition featured a seven-minute show, which included a countdown supported by 550 drones and 150 pyrodrones, celebrating the controlled explosion of the resort that first opened in 1957. Historian Geoff Schumacher remarked on the unique way Las Vegas has transformed these implosions into major events.
The last major casino demolition took place in 2016 when the Riviera’s final tower was brought down to make way for a convention center expansion.
This implosion clears space for a new $1.5 billion baseball stadium intended for the relocating Oakland Athletics, part of Las Vegas’s continuing evolution into a sports destination. With the Tropicana gone, the Flamingo remains as the only casino from the mob era on the Strip, although its original structures have long been replaced after a complete renovation in the 1990s.
The Tropicana, the third-oldest casino on the Strip, closed its doors in April after 67 years of operation. Once referred to as the “Tiffany of the Strip” for its luxurious design, it was a favorite spot for the famous Rat Pack and has strong ties to Las Vegas’s mob history.
Upon its opening in 1957, the Tropicana featured three stories and 300 hotel rooms, split into two wings. As Las Vegas grew, so did the Tropicana, adding two hotel towers over the years and a distinctive stained glass ceiling above the casino floor in 1979.
The original hotel wings remained intact through multiple renovations, making it the last major structure from Las Vegas’s mob past. The resort had connections to organized crime, notably through mobster Frank Costello.
In the 1970s, federal investigations into mob operations led to charges against various individuals for attempting to skim millions from casinos, including the Tropicana, resulting in multiple convictions.
The Tropicana also gained fame for its role as Michael Corleone’s casino in the iconic film “The Godfather.”
While there were no official viewing areas for the implosion, fans had previously bid farewell to the historic venue in April. Echoing sentiments of loss, one emotional visitor expressed, “Old Vegas, it’s going,” as he left the casino right before its closure.
Other notable Las Vegas hotels that have disappeared over the years include The New Frontier, The Stardust Resort and Casino, Castaways Hotel and Casino, Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino, Desert Inn, El Rancho, Aladdin, Hacienda, Sands, Landmark, and The Dunes.