It was also the place where magicians Siegfried & Roy, known for their performances with white lions and tiger, made their Vegas debut.
In 2003, Roy – whose real name is Uwe Ludwig Horn – was attacked by a seven-year-old white tiger named Mantacore, severely hurting him and leaving him with permanent injuries.
Following the demolition that is due to start in October, around nine acres of the 35-acre piece of land will be handed to the Oakland Athletics baseball team for the construction of a 30,000-seat stadium, the resort said. It is expected that the team will relocate from California, in 2028.
In a statement, the owner of the property, Bally’s Corporation, said: “The master plan for the rest of the property will accelerate once the Athletics’ ballpark concept design is finalised. Bally’s is aligned to deliver a unique development worthy of this iconic site on the strip.”
The Tropicana underwent two major hotel expansions – the Tiffany Tower opened in 1979 with 600 rooms and was renamed the Paradise Tower. In 1986, the Island Tower opened with 800 new rooms.
‘New standard for the time’
Michael Green, professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said what made the Tropicana unique when it opened was that it was “a new standard for the time”.
“It cost a record $15 million to build … with everything from a production revue that opened with Eddie Fisher, one of the biggest names of the era, as well as a gourmet room with a prominent chef and four different room designs based on various kinds of international architecture,” he added.
In October 2017, when a gunman opened fire into a crowded country music festival from a high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay in October 2017, the nearby Tropicana sheltered thousands of people fleeing gunfire. Sixty people were killed.
“The Tropicana welcomed them all in. They provided some first aid as needed and a safe place for them until the danger passed,” said Tennille Pereira, director of the Resiliency and Justice Centre.
Yet for all its past glories, the Tropicana struggled after the 2009 recession that led to the end of many of its most celebrated acts.
Now the only remaining casino from that era is the Sahara.
