Las Vegas has said goodbye to one of its last mob-era landmarks, with the Tropicana, the third oldest casino on the Las Vegas Strip, reduced to rubble in a 22-second implosion. The towers crumbled in a celebration complete with fireworks, marking the city’s first major demolition in nearly a decade.
Las Vegas has a history of turning demolitions into spectacles, according to Geoff Schumacher, historian and vice president at the Mob Museum. This time, the implosion cleared the way for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium, part of Las Vegas’ new role as a sports hub.
With the Tropicana gone, only the Flamingo remains from the mob era on the Strip, though its original structures were replaced long ago. Once known as the “Tiffany of the Strip,” and a Rat Pack favorite, the Tropicana opened in 1957 and had ties to organized crime.
Mobster Frank Costello was linked to the casino’s early days, and authorities later uncovered a skimming operation that led to multiple convictions.
