Tropicana hotel implosion marks the end of an era on the Las Vegas Strip (2025)

Sin City said goodbye to the Tropicana with a flashy implosion in the early hours of Wednesday, marking the end of its mob era and making way for new construction on the Las Vegas Strip.

The 67-year-old hotel-casino sitting on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue joined the list of 13 Las Vegas hotels that have been imploded between 1993 and 2016.

The spectacle began at 2:30 a.m. with a fireworks show put on by Fireworks by Grucci — a company responsible for many shows on the Strip. The fireworks display was accompanied by 555 drones lighting up the sky.

There were no public viewing areas of the implosion due to safety restrictions but that didn't stop people from crowding around nearby areas to get a look.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Department had closed roads in the surrounding areas of the Tropicana starting at 11 p.m. on Tuesday before reopening them early Wednesday morning.

At approximately 2:37 a.m., the button was pressed for the implosion. Officials estimated the implosion to take 22 seconds. The demolition sequence started with the Paradise Tower followed by the Club Tower.

Controlled Demolition Inc. and GGG Demolition were the two companies in charge of the implosion. President and owner of Controlled Demolition, Inc., Mark Loizeaux, said a lot of preparation has gone into the moment of destruction.

"You'll hear 'bang, bang, bang'— nothing happens— that's the initiation system going off. Then 'boom, boom, boom'— those are the charges going off and that's when the structure starts to move," Loizeaux said.

Controlled Demolition, Inc. has brought down 35 buildings in Clark County since 1993— notable projects like the Dunes North Tower, Frontier, Hacienda, Stardust and Riviera.

The land is set to be transformed into a new Las Vegas ballpark for the Oakland Athletics. The ballpark will take up about nine acres— with a resort on-site planned by Bally's and Gaming and Leisure Properties.

Final goodbyes to the Tropicana hotel-casino

A number of representatives reflected on the historic hotel and its legacy in Las Vegas in the hours before the implosion including:

• Bally's Corporation Chairman, Soo Kim
• Tropicana Las Vegas General Manager and Vice President of Hospitality, Arik Knowles
• Sr. Project Manager of GGG Demolition, Vince Gutierrez and President of Controlled Demolition, Inc., Mark Loizeaux
• Chief Executive Officer and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Steve Hill
• Clark County Commissioner, Jim Gibson
• CEO and Creative Director of Fireworks by Grucci Inc., Phil Grucci

Knowles said this moment is bittersweet, but the legacy of the building will live on.

Reflecting back on the Tropicana and its legacy

Two Folies Bergeres showgirls, Sheri Mirault and Teri Thorndike, also stopped by to reflect on their memories of the Tropicana.

Folies Bergeres showgirls share their Tropicana memories

History of the Tropicana

The Tropicana is a hotel casino with a storied past. Scripps News Las Vegas's Tricia Kean sat down with two local historians to talk about the Tropicana's ties to the mob, Hollywood legends, jazz greats and glamorous showgirls.

Take a look back at the storied past of the Tropicana Las Vegas

Watch all of Las Vegas' hotel implosions from 1993 to 2016

Watch all of Las Vegas' hotel implosions since 1993 to 2016

Memories of the Tropicana

Scripps News Las Vegas's Abel Garcia spoke to a few locals near the site Tuesday afternoon to hear their thoughts on the upcoming implosion.

Local reaction on the upcoming implosion of the Tropicana

Scripps News Las Vegas's Ryan Ketcham also spoke to a UCLA graduate whose first casino experience was in the Tropicana. He said while it's sad to see this historic hotel go, he has accepted its fate.

First casino experience

This story was originally published by Noor Shami at Scripps News Las Vegas.

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