Las Vegas said goodbye to the Tropicana in an elaborate implosion that took place before dawn on Wednesday. This event marked the first implosion in nearly a decade in a city renowned for its fresh starts and tradition of casino demolitions.

 

The seven-minute ceremony featured 550 drones and 150 "pyrodrones" that counted down to the controlled demolition of the resort, which opened in 1957. Geoff Schumacher, a historian at the Mob Museum, noted that Las Vegas has turned implosions into spectacles.

 

The last casino demolition on the Strip occurred in 2016 with the final tower of the Riviera. This time, the Tropicana was brought down to make way for a new $1.5 billion baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics.

 

 

Known as the "Tiffany of the Strip," the Tropicana closed in April after 67 years of operation, making it the third-oldest hotel on the Strip. Its history is marked by ties to organized crime and its reputation as a favorite haunt of the legendary Rat Pack. Despite numerous renovations, the Tropicana remained the last structure linked to organized crime on the Strip, recalling the legacy of figures like mobster Frank Costello.

 

Although there were no public viewing areas for the event, fans of the Tropicana had the chance to say goodbye to this Las Vegas icon in April. "Old Vegas is going," commented a tearful resident as he exited the casino before its final closure.