When Was The Riviera Casino Torn Down

Posted on

After a nine-year gap, a once-famous resort along the Strip is about to come tumbling down. The Monaco Tower at the Riviera Hotel and Casino was demolished June 14, 2016. A worker uses a lift to cover a building adjacent to a tower at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, at left, Monday in Las Vegas. A tower on the hotel and casino is scheduled to be imploded early. The Riviera hotel and casino in Las Vegas is getting torn down. This was filmed on May 29, 2016. May 04, 2015 The Riviera was opened in 1955 by Liberace and was one of the first high-rise hotels to be built on The Strip During the recession it fell on hard times and has failed to make a profit since being. The Riviera Hotel & Casino has closed its doors, ending a colorful 60-year run on the Las Vegas Strip. In recent years, as neighboring hotels were torn down, the resort also suffered from a.

The Riviera Casino Las Vegas

Today was the end for the infamous Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas’ first high-rise and one of Sin City’s most notorious mobster-owned properties. Its exit was as appropriate as its celebrated past. The hotel imploded in the early hours of the morning, complete with a fireworks show.

The hotel, known as “The Riv,” was closed in May of 2015 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which purchased the property with plans to use its 26 acres to expand the Las Vegas Convention Center. The CVB is spending approximately $42 million to level the 13 buildings that make up the resort, starting with the 24-story Monaco tower, which is the only section of the property that was imploded this morning. The Monte Carlo tower will meet its maker sometime in August. The two towers are the only ones to be imploded. Other buildings will use more traditional methods of demolition. Hazardous materials will also be removed before the buildings are taken down.

Las Vegas Is Going to Literally Destroy 2020 This NYEDestination & Tourism

Work and Play From Two of Las Vegas' Most Luxurious...Hotel & Resort

Las Vegas Tourism Still Slow as Christmas, New Year̵...Destination & Tourism

When Was The Riviera Casino Torn Down Album

MGM Resorts Closing Mirage, Mandalay Bay Hotels During...Hotel & Resort

When

Las Vegas Chapel to Give Away Dream Honeymoon PackageEntertainment

When Was The Riviera Casino Torn Down

READ MORE: How 'Morons' Help Las Vegas Continually Reinvent Itself

The Riviera joins a long line of iconic Las Vegas properties that have since been demolished and replaced with newer, shinier casino resorts. The only two properties that still harken back to Vegas’ mob era are the Tropicana and the Flamingo. The Tropicana, although renovated, still has parts of the original buildings. The Flamingo, on the other hand, was torn down and rebuilt in the same place.

The Riviera came about in true Sin City fashion. The original proposal for the property was made by Detroit mobster William Bischoff but, when he withdrew, businessman Samuel Cohen, who was a member of Miami’s S&G gambling syndicate, took over. However, when that didn’t work out, the project was taken over by an investment group, although rumors of Cohen’s involvement still persisted. The Marx Brothers were also a part of the transaction. Harpo and Gummo held minority interests when the property opened.

READ MORE: Top 3 Movies Filmed in Las Vegas Casinos

The Riviera went bankrupt after it opened but that didn’t end its mobster beginnings. Stories of embezzlement and murder followed the property until the late 1960s. In 2010, the casino filed for bankruptcy yet again but even a purchase by Starwood Capital Group couldn’t breathe life back into the hotel. The economic downturn put the final nail in the property’s coffin. When neighbors Stardust, New Frontier and the Westward Ho were all demolished to make way for new construction there might have been hope for a comeback, but when construction was put on hold for these newer properties, a decline in foot traffic ultimately led to the casino’s demise.

When Was The Riviera Casino Torn Down Casinos

Thanks to YouTube, we can watch how it all went down: