An iconic hotel on the Las Vegas strip is set to be demolished as plans to bring the Oakland Athletics to Nevada take shape.
An iconic hotel on the Las Vegas strip is set to be demolished as plans to bring the Oakland Athletics to Nevada take shape.
It’s safe to say that sports are thriving in Las Vegas right now. Just last week, the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history. Celebrations followed in the Wynn Las Vegas.
Elsewhere, the Raiders are cementing themselves as Vegas’ NFL franchise after arriving in Nevada from California in 2020. F1 is also coming to Vegas in November 2023, closely followed by Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024.
Next up, it is the turn of baseball in Sin City. In May 2023, the Oakland A’s announced their relocation to Vegas to join their old city cohabitants, the Raiders.
Unfortunately, with the exciting news of the Athletics arriving in the city, one piece of rich history must suffer to make way for new developments. The Tropicana Las Vegas is set to be demolished for Oakland’s new ballpark to be built.
The new stadium of the Oakland A’s will be built in Las Vegas.
The city has approved a $1.5 billion stadium to be built on the grounds of the Tropicana Las Vegas. Specifically, the new ballpark will cover 9 acres of the 35 acres covered by the Tropicana. As a result, the Tropicana is set to be demolished.
However, that does leave 26 acres of land following the demolition. Soo Kim, Chairman of Bally’s Corporation (which owns the Tropicana), has hinted at a revamped resorts and casino being built on the remaining 26 acres.
The Tropicana opened in 1957 and cost $15 million to construct. At the time, the resort was the most expensive hotel-casino to be built in Sin City. This record stood until Caesar’s Palace was built for $19 million in 1966.
To put things into perspective, the A’s new stadium is going to cost 100 times the amount Tropicana set developers back.
Despite better venues along the strip at present, the Tropicana famously hosted some huge shows and entertainment events.
Les Folies Bergere, an iconic music cabaret show, was the longest-running show in Vegas history. The show ran from 1959 to 2009.
Now, shows include Michael Jackson and Prince tribute concerts, magic shows and Laugh Factory Comedy Club.
The current Tropicana resort is home to the following Vegas restaurants:
It will be interesting to see which shows, events and dining options survive in the coming years as the Tropicana faces an uncertain future.
Will any of the above transfer to a new casino in Vegas? Will any remain, but in a new, revamped Tropicana resort? Or will this be the last we see of some of these Tropicana classics?