When the Tropicana opened in 1957, it was a stylish, opulent hotel that attracted Hollywood celebrities like the Rat Pack. It was also featured in various films, from Elvis movies to the 1971 James Bond flick, “Diamonds Are Forever.”
Like many hotels from Sin City’s early days, however, as The Strip continued to modernize, the resort became outdated and in need of repairs. It closed its doors in April 2024 and was demolished Wednesday to make room for a different kind of entertainment.
FULL VIDEO: Tropicana hotel imploded in true Las Vegas spectacle
MORE: https://t.co/umFA4lYb43 pic.twitter.com/3JbHtJmVnY— KSNV News 3 Las Vegas (@News3LV) October 9, 2024
Related: Iconic Las Vegas Hotel Set to Be Demolished to Build New $1.5 Billion Baseball Stadium
Over the last decade or so, Las Vegas has become a major sports city, and the land Tropicana occupied has now become a sports district. The NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders play in Allegiant Stadium in the neighborhood and T-Mobile Arena, which hosts sports including UFC, NHL, and WNBA events, is also nearby.
The plan for the site is to build a ballpark for Las Vegas’s new baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, which will move to the field in 2028.
What did the Tropicana look like in its heyday?
Tropicana Las Vegas casino interior – Bettmann / Contributor January 15, 1966.
A Getty Images caption from 1966 describes the casino interior as “designed for a woman in mind” with “porcelain sculpture, plush carpeting, soothing colors, and dimly-lighted chandeliers.”
Other older photos show the exterior in 2008.
A general view of the Tropicana Resort & Casino May 5, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Casino operator Tropicana Entertainment LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following a missed interest payment on a USD 1.32 billion loan. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The resort exterior in 1958.
General view as an old car drives by on the outside of The Tropicana Hotel circa 1958 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Hy Peskin/Getty Images)
Elizabeth Taylor in the Tropicana lobby “dripping with diamond jewelry” in 1959.
American pop singer Eddie Fisher (3R) with his actress fiancee Elizabeth Taylor who is dripping with diamond jewelry, as Pat Newcomb (C), Marilyn Monroe’s Press agent, trails behind her through lobby after his show, at the Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1959. (Photo by John Bryson/Getty Images)