Tropicana Las Vegas (April 4, 1957 - April 2, 2024)
Photo by: Turn It Up World
The Tropicana is a Las Vegas icon. When it first opened in 1957, it was the most luxurious hotel in Las Vegas. Built at a cost of $15 million, the Tropicana was the most expensive Las Vegas resort ever constructed up to that point. Its design was intended to reflect Miami and Havana, two of the most popular travel destinations at the time. Known for its opulant interior design, it was marketed as the “Tiffany of the Strip” and attracted celebrity guests as well as Hollywood movies. Recently shutting its doors for the last time, the Tropicana will soon be demolished and the Oakland A’s new stadium will rise up in its place.
We visited the Tropicana one final time right before it closed to pay our respects and walk through some of its amazing Las Vegas history. Right outside the Tropicana’s front entrance stood a plaza area that at one time was lush with tropical landscaping. The plaza during its better days had featured a water cooling tower covered with a tulip shaped fountain structure. The structure was 60 feet tall but was demolished in 1977 during renovation work. In 1991, two very large Easter Island head type statues were added each rising 35 feet high and weighing 300,000 pounds.
Tiffany style ceiling lamp. Cost at the time was $1 Million to
Just past Tropicana’s front entrance, you step into one of the major highlights of the Tropicana’s former glory. A beautiful stained-glass ceiling above the casino floor that was installed in 1979. The stained-glass ceiling covers 4,250 square feet and was installed at a cost of $1 million at the same. Reportedly, the mirrored tiles were also used by security to monitor gamblers before they turned more heavily to the use of surveillance cameras. Fortunately, we are hearing that there are plans in the works to preserve this iconic piece of Las Vegas history after the demolition.
Speaking of demotion, a 10-foot demolition wall is going to be built around the Tropicana shortly after it’s closure. It will be a wooden wall that will reportedly cost in the range of $500,000 to build and install. The actual demolition of the resort is expected to take place later in 2024. Bally’s is partnering with the Oakland Athletics to construct a new 33,000 seat stadium on the site at a cost of about $1.5B.
Walking further into the Tropicana, you see the Tropicana Theater, the largest venue on the property with 1,100 seat capacity. In recent years, popular Prince and Michael Jackson tribute shows performed at the venue. The theater opened in 1973 and was actually built to the specifications provided by Sammy Davis Jr. who had become a part owner of the Tropicana in 1972. As part owner of the Tropicana at that time, Sammy Davis Jr. became the first black man to have an ownership interest in a Las Vegas resort on the Strip.
During better times before suffering from disrepair, the Tropicana’s pool area was a beautiful oasis covering 5 acres on the property. The pool area was constructed in 1986 during a major renovation of the Tropicana and included man-made lagoons, waterfalls and islands. You could also get married at the pool area at the cozy Island Wedding chapel. After the pool area was constructed in 1986, the property had actually marketed itself as the “Island of Las Vegas”.
You can’t really discuss the history of the Tropicana without mentioning its ties to organized crime over the years. From the beginning, the Tropicana became associated with the infamous Frank Costello and later on numerous FBI investigations exposed various mob skimming operations. Perhaps, this also helped attract Hollywood to the Tropicana where many movies were filmed over the years including scenes from the Godfather and the James Bond film Diamond’s are Forever.
While the Tropicana was originally one of the top priorities in Las Vegas, beginning in the early 1970’s competition from newer properties, such as Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Hilton, really began taking its toll. This led to numerous ownership changes and attempted renovations over the years many of which were not successful. Unfortunately, as time passed, the Tropicana fell into a major state of disrepair and faced an urgent need for new investment across the entire property.
Bally’s had reportedly at one point planned a major renovation of the Tropicana that could have preserved more of the historic property. That all changed however, with Major League Baseball and the Oakland A’s franchise moving to Las Vegas. The A’s were looking for a new home for their stadium and the Tropicana’s 35 acres on the Strip were too enticing for them to pass up. While we admittedly have our concerns about the traffic impact of a new baseball stadium right on the Strip, we are excited for the new investment coming to the property and potential new life it can bring to the location. We are also sad to see the Tropicana’s great employees have to find new job opportunities, but we were happy to learn that the employee’s appear to have been treated very well by Bally’s during the transition. Now regarding the implosion of the Tropicana, it looks like it’s happening sometimes in late 2024. It’s a go according to Controlled Demolition, Inc. president Mark Loizeaux. Bally's Corp. will have to get dust control and asbestos abatement permits, something that has become more difficult in recent years.
Walking out of the Tropicana for the last time, we reflect once again on the incredible piece of Las Vegas history that is coming to an end. The Tropicana is obviously far from its original glory days and change was inevitable. That being said, you always feel a bit sad and nostalgic when you see an iconic piece of Las Vegas leave us. Goodbye Tropicana, we will miss you.
