A kind donation will ensure that a portion of the legendary Tropicana Las Vegas’ legacy endures even as it is set to close. The Tropicana’s owner, Bally’s Corporation, has committed to giving the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) a number of historic artifacts. The contribution was made in response to a request made by UNLV’s Special Collections and Archives division, which aimed to save certain historical records of the resort prior to its dismantling.
End of an Era, Tropicana to Make Way for New Stadium
On October 9, the Tropicana, one of the most historic buildings on the Las Vegas Strip, is scheduled to collapse. The Oakland Athletics will soon build a state-of-the-art stadium on the property, marking yet another development in Las Vegas’ ongoing transformation. After paying $148 million purchasing the Tropicana in 2022, Bally’s opted to rebuild the property because of the Tropicana’s decreasing business. Even with its historical significance, the Tropicana never quite achieved the kind of success that marked its heyday. With tomorrow being the day of the last implosion, demolition work has already started.
While the building will soon be gone, its history will be preserved through the items donated to UNLV. The collection includes architectural plans, business reports, menus, training manuals, and other valuable memorabilia. Sarah Quigley, director of UNLV’s Special Collections and Archives, emphasized the importance of these items, explaining that they offer insight into how the casino operated.
“We have the manual that they gave to their phone operators, which describes not only how they were to run the telecoms, but the expectations from them in terms of customer service,” Quigley told Casino.org.
In addition to the more practical documents, the donation also includes rare, unseen photos and film reels from the Folies Bergère show, which ran from 1959 to 2009. Quigley noted that her team plans to digitize these reels and make them accessible online in the future.
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