halbergman The Las Vegas Strip will look a little different soon, with the iconic Mirage only a few weeks away from being closed and the area around the former Tropicana Las Vegas property already being cleared out to make room for a major league baseball stadium. Iconic properties fade into the twilight The Mirage, opened in 1989, was a groundbreaking resort that marked the beginning of a new era of mega-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. Developed by Steve Wynn at a cost of $630 million, it was the most expensive hotel-casino ever built at the time.
Its iconic attractions like an erupting volcano, vibrant atrium, and Siegfried & Roy's white tiger habitat set new standards for themed entertainment. The Tropicana Las Vegas, opened in 1957, was once considered the epitome of luxury and flash on the Las Vegas Strip. Despite its ties to organized crime figures like Frank Costello, the Tropicana became a haven for legendary entertainers, and was used in iconic films like The Godfather and Diamonds Are Forever.
The closing of the Tropicana means that the only surviving property on the Las Vegas Strip from the 1950s is the Sahara. Short-term impact on the Strip While the Fountainebleau Las Vegas on the Strip and Red Rocks Resorts' ( NASDAQ: RRR ) Durango property in the Las Vegas Valley both opened late last year, the Fountainebleau has struggled to generate foot traffic and the Durango is mainly competing against off-Strip casinos. Analysts think the loss of approximately 4,500 rooms.
