Tall & Urban News

The Tropicana implosion marks the end of an era on the Las Vegas Strip. On 8 October, the iconic 67-year-old Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Casino was brought down, joining the ranks of 13 other hotels that have been demolished on the Strip since 1993. Positioned at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, the demolition began with the Paradise Tower, followed by the Club Tower. Due to safety precautions, there were no public viewing areas for the event.

From 2:05 a.m. to 2:20 a.m., several key figures took the stage to reflect on the hotel’s history and legacy. Speakers included:

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

Knowles remarked on the bittersweet nature of the moment, emphasizing that the hotel’s legacy will endure. Kim spoke to the broader significance of the event, calling it more than just a new chapter but a reflection of the Strip’s ongoing transformation, "where legend meets innovation." He also touched on the exciting future for the site, which will be redeveloped into a new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics. The ballpark, occupying nine acres, will include an on-site resort developed by Bally's and Gaming and Leisure Properties.

At 2:30 a.m., the event transitioned to a seven-minute fireworks show, organized by Fireworks by Grucci, accompanied by 555 drones and 150 pyro-drones lighting up the sky that gave the countdown to the blast. 

By 2:37 a.m., the implosion began. The structural steel-framed Paradise Tower featured 220 cut-point locations loaded with 490 lbs of explosives, while the reinforced concrete-framed Club Tower was slated to have 1,130 boreholes filled with 1,700 pounds of explosives. Around 22,000 linear feet of detonating cord initiated the implosion in both towers. Within 22 seconds, the Tropicana was reduced to rubble, closing a chapter in the Strip’s storied history. 

Learn more about this story at Demolition and Recycling.