|
 |
 |
|
In Las Vegas we do everything big, even the implosion of an old building. Classic hotels are often a part of our hearts in Las Vegas and most people are sad to see them go. Recently, the trend of mega-resorts has been taking over the Strip and leaving little room for smaller properties to stay afloat. When properties like the New Frontier and the Stardust were imploded, Las Vegas was left with more than just dust in the air. The memories of hotels that were some of the first on the Strip still remained. In fact, many of the hotels donate their signs to the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas so visitors can go visit them whenever they wish and reminisce about the glory days of Vegas. Walking by many of the implosions in Las Vegas, you might think you were witnessing a grand opening. Fireworks, spectators, and often speeches take place outside the property in the final minutes before its demise.
Recently the New Frontier was torn down to make way for new properties. The New Frontier opened in 1942 as only the second hotel on Highway 91, which is now known as the famous Las Vegas Strip. The casino originally opened even earlier as the Pair O’ Dice casino and was converted into the Frontier in 1942. The hotel was famous for holding Elvis Presley’s first Las Vegas performance and the final performance of Diana Ross and the Supremes. As the Frontier went down, a brilliant firework display attracted many spectators. Fireworks spelled out the numbers for the countdown on the side of the hotel and the audience counted out loud. On November 13, 2007 the Frontier was no more. Now, part of the Trump tower exists on the old Frontier lot and the Plaza Hotel Group is in the process of building a brand new luxury resort in its place.
One of the most memorable demolitions was the controversial implosion of the Stardust Casino. The Stardust opened with a celestial theme that visitors at the time couldn’t get enough of. In 1958, the famous Stardust Hotel was the largest hotel in the world with 1,000 rooms. In 2007, the hotel was imploded to make way for a $4 billion dollar project which would be named Echelon Place. Also accompanied by a grand firework show, the hotel went down in a matter of seconds and brought plenty of Las Vegas memories with it.
Although there is almost no trace of it now, the Desert Inn once stood in place of the ultra-luxurious Wynn Las Vegas. Opened in 1950, it was originally called Wilbur Clark’s Desert Inn. Howard Hughes rented out a floor of the hotel in 1966 and ended up staying for several months. After the owners eventually asked him to leave, he offered to buy the place. Howard Hughes purchased the hotel for $14 million. Steve Wynn purchased the hotel in 2000 for $275 million. The first tower was imploded in 2001, with the others shortly following. However, the Desert Inn is nothing but a distant memory now as the north end of the Strip has been built up and it is hard to see exactly where the original hotel could have been. Thankfully, all these old hotels were given the respect they deserved and just like everything in Las Vegas, they went out with bang.
|
