In The News: Special Collections and Archives
The Tropicana has been synonymous with old-world Las Vegas glamour for nearly seven decades – but the legendary landmark has now closed its doors to make way for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium. As historians scramble to preserve the Tropicana’s colourful past, the site’s sporting future exemplifies the city’s ever-changing identity
The legendary Tropicana has closed its doors, but Las Vegas' raucous history is still celebrated in sites devoted to the mob, neon and even divorce. Las Vegas rose like a mirage from the lonely Nevada desert in the 1940s and has since gained a reputation for looking forward and building upward without sentiment or regret. But even the most hard-hearted resident had to give pause last week when it was announced that the beloved Tropicana resort will be demolished and replaced by a Major League Baseball stadium.
Representatives of Bally’s Corp. and Las Vegas’ Neon Museum are still assessing how they will rescue a stained-glass atrium canopy that arched over the Tropicana’s main casino for years. But one other piece of Trop history — a blue neon sign over one of the entrances of the shuttered hotel-casino — was illuminated in a ceremonial flick of a switch Wednesday.
Las Vegas isn’t good at documenting its art history. Does it matter? I've lately been racking what’s left of my brain for details of an old exhibit — a show by local artists who created work to protest Steve Wynn’s implosion of the Dunes. So, this would’ve been sometime in 1993, maybe? Organized by the then-newish Contemporary Arts Collective, it took place in a storefront on Maryland Parkway near UNLV. I think. I mean, it’s been a few years.
Whether it's memories of their time at the hotel's pool or taking in one of its longlist of entertainment acts, making sure records are kept of the Tropicana Hotel and Casino is top of mind for many.
A week after closing its doors, it was reported that the Neon Museum and UNLV will preserve the historical heritage of the Tropicana Hotel, which will give up its land to build the next Las Vegas baseball stadium.
Community groups are working with Tropicana Las Vegas on preserving historic and sentimental pieces ahead of the resort's closure next week.
You can learn a lot about a city in its museums — and just by the types of museums it has.
The project is designed to document the tragic December 6, 2023 shooting on campus.
So you’re on a date. One person pays for dinner, maybe a show on the Strip. At night’s end, the payer might expect something in return. Is that so much different than sugar dating?
Cleopatra’s Barge has sailed into Las Vegas history, destined to be replaced at Caesars Palace this spring by just another upscale bar aimed at Millennials.
The Las Vegas showgirl was beautiful, majestic, and larger than life. In full feathers and heels, a showgirl could measure 10 feet tall. She exuded poise and panache, and her revealing costume was bedecked in glimmering Parisian crystals and expensive fur. She was a city icon who helped Las Vegas become the Entertainment Capital of the World.The showgirl is a distant memory for most, but there is hope that she will one day return to the stage.
