Zoe Sharp
Last Thursday, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed a bill under which $380 million in taxpayer money would fund a proposed $1.5-billion baseball stadium. The move aims to attract the Oakland Athletics to the Las Vegas Strip. The proposal now pends approval from Major League Baseball in order to be finalized.
However, the approval of the project would result in the demolition of the iconic Tropicana Las Vegas. But the Tropicana has a historical value, and its destruction would erase a chunk of the Vegas glamorous history. The Tropicana Las Vegas was established in 1957, and during its heyday, it attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from all four corners of the world. They could see the feathered showgirls who danced in its Folies Bergère cabaret and the cascading 60-foot fountain.
Besides, numerous movie stars were filmed at the Tropicana, including Sean Connery’s James Bond and The Godfather Corleone. The careers of the world-famous magicians Siegfried and Roy also started at the Tropicana. Unfortunately, the Tropicana is no longer one of the most visited establishments on the Las Vegas Strip but is still one of Vegas’ most iconic buildings. The Tropicana has been redeveloped several times in a bid to revive its operations, but all efforts proved fruitless.
Bally’s Corporation Plans to Demolish and Rebuild the Tropicana Las Vegas
In a memo sent in May, Bally’s Corporation, the company that owns the Tropicana, explained that the venue could cease operations for the next two years. The company also noted that the Tropicana could reopen as a “new integrated casino hotel resort and baseball park”.
Soo Kim, the chairman of Bally’s, provided a revised version of the memo this Sunday, in which he did not mention a timeline for the Tropicana’s closure. Instead, he announced that the venue would operate until the company deems it appropriate. In an interview, Mr. Kim said that the land on which the Tropicana is located was more expensive than the casino operations.
The possible demolition of the Tropicana would leave many people jobless. The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 promised to protect employees’ rights if the Tropicana ceases operations. The union stated that it would assist workers in finding new jobs until the remodeling of the building is over, and after that, they must be the first to be hired back.
This May, Bally’s Corporation announced that it signed a binding agreement with real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. and the Oakland Athletics, under which the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas casino hotel would host a Major League Baseball stadium. The company revealed that the ballpark would occupy approximately nine acres and accommodate 30,000 fans. The stadium is expected to attract the attention of over 2.5 million sports fans each year. Bally’s also announced its plans to demolish the Tropicana and build a new hotel and casino, which would be separate from the stadium.