LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Tropicana Las Vegas is just days away from joining the list of Las Vegas hotels that have been blown up over the years.
At 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, the implosion button will be pressed to bring down the historic resort's two hotel towers. They're expected to collapse within a matter of seconds, according to recent information from Bally's Corporation, which owns the hotel.
Much has been said about the Tropicana's storied history in the months leading up to its impending demise. But the resort will be in good company as it joins the growing list of Las Vegas landmarks that now exist only in our memories.
We combed through Channel 13's archives to find videos of the moment some of those properties were turned to rubble. Here's what we were able to find:
Dunes Hotel (May 1955 - October 1993)
- Location: 3650 South Las Vegas Boulevard
- What's there now? Bellagio Las Vegas, which opened just under five years after the Dunes was brought down.
Landmark Hotel and Casino (July 1969 - November 1995)
- Location: 364 Convention Center Drive
- What's there now? The property was purchased by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and used as a parking lot for the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.
Sands Hotel and Casino ( December 1952 - November 1996)
- Location: 3355 South Las Vegas Boulevard
- What's there now? The Venetian opened in May 1999, less than three years after the Dunes was reduced to rubble.
Aladdin (April 1966* - April 1998)
- Location: 3667 South Las Vegas Boulevard
- What's there now? The resort now known as Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino originally opened as the "new" Aladdin in August 2000. It was sold in 2003 and began operating as Planet Hollywood in 2007.
- *The structure itself was older, opening initially as the Tallyho Hotel in 1962.
CHECK IT OUT: We talked to a former Channel 13 broadcaster known as "the implosion guy" because of the number of implosions he covered over his career. Here's which one he said was his favorite.
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Stardust (July 1958 - March 2007)
- Location: 3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard
- What's there now? Resorts World Las Vegas opened on the former Stardust site in June 2021.
New Frontier Hotel and Casino ( October 1942* - November 2007)
- Location: 3120 South Las Vegas Boulevard
- What's there now? The property, located between Desert Inn Road and Fashion Show Drive off Las Vegas Boulevard, remains vacant. The land was bought by Wynn Resorts in 2017. As of June 2024, the company expressed continued intentions to develop the site.
- *Note: Pair O' Dice, which opened in 1931, was incorporated into the structure that became New Frontier.
Clarion Hotel (April 1970 - February 2015)
- Location: 305 Convention Center Drive (across the street from Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall)
- What's there now? The lot where Clarion stood still remains vacant today. In 2019, developer Lorenzo Doumani announced plans to build a non-gaming high-rise hotel on the land. As of 2024, construction has yet to begin.
Riviera Hotel and Casino ( April 1955 - June/August 2016*)
- Location: 2901 South Las Vegas Boulevard
- What's there now? Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall
- *Note: The Riviera's two hotel towers were imploded separately in June and August of 2016.
Notably, there are no planned public viewing areas for the upcoming Tropicana implosion. You'll be able to watch it live on Channel 13 and on ktnv.com/live.
Find more of Channel 13's continuing coverage here:
