Bally’s Donates Tropicana Memorabilia to UNLV Ahead of Demolition
Date: 2024-10-08 Author: Alex Crawford Categories: EVENTS
Bally’s, the corporation that operates the soon-to-be-demolished Tropicana Las Vegas, has decided to donate various items and memorabilia to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The university’s Department of Special Collections and Archives has reached out to the casino to preserve a piece of the iconic resort’s history.
New Stadium for Oakland Athletics to Take Tropicana’s Place
Demolition of the Tropicana Las Vegas will begin tomorrow, marking the end of one of Las Vegas’ most iconic hotels. Despite the dismay of many who are upset by the decision to demolish, the memories of the site will be preserved in the UNLV archives.
The university quickly reached out to Bally’s after news of the impending demolition broke. The casino purchased the hotel in 2022 for $148 million, but soon after the purchase, it decided to close it.
Although the Tropicana is a historic landmark, it has long struggled in business, failing to achieve the success of its past. So Bally’s decided to tear down the building to make way for new projects. The hotel’s site is planned to be used to build a modern stadium for the Oakland Athletics baseball team.
Demolition work has already begun, and the building will be completely torn down on October 9. This process is emblematic of the Las Vegas approach, where innovation and change are above historical heritage.
Preserving History
Despite the upcoming demolition, some of the hotel’s history will be preserved through memorabilia donated to UNLV. The collection includes blueprints, business reports, menus, teaching aids, and other items.
Sarah Quigley, director of special collections and archives at UNLV, told Casino.org that her team immediately began working with Tropicana officials after Bally’s made the decision to demolish.
Quigley noted that the study guides are especially valuable because they provide insight into the past and how the casino operated.
For example, we have a manual for telephone operators that not only describes their communications work, but also what is expected of them in terms of customer service.
Sarah Quigley, director of special collections and archives at UNLV
She also added that this information will help historians understand how the business stayed open for so long.
The collection also includes more “glamorous” items, she said, such as photographs, brochures, and even a box of never-before-seen film from the Folies Bergère show, which ran from 1959 to 2009. Quigley noted that her team will likely digitize these records and make them available online in the future.
