When the Tropicana OPEN in 1957, it was an elegant and opulent hotel that attracted Hollywood celebrities such as the Rat Pack. It was too presented in various films, from the Elvis films to the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.

Like many hotels from the early days of Sin City, however, as The Strip continued to modernize, the resort became dated and in need of repairs. It closed its doors in April 2024 and it was collapsed on Wednesday to make room for another kind of entertainment.

FULL VIDEO: Tropicana Hotel explodes in true Las Vegas spectacle
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— KSNV News 3 Las Vegas (@News3LV) October 9, 2024

Related: Iconic Las Vegas hotel to be demolished to build new $1.5 billion baseball stadium

Over the past decade or so, Las Vegas has become one the main sports cityand the land occupied by the Tropicana has now become a sports district. The NFL's Las Vegas Raiders play at Allegiant Stadium in the neighborhood, and the T-Mobile Arena, which hosts sports including UFC, NHL and WNBA events, is also nearby.

of site plan is the construction of a ballpark for the new Las Vegas baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, which will move into the field in 2028.

What did the Tropicana look like in its heyday?

^{Interior of Tropicana Las Vegas Casino – Bettmann / Contributor January 15, 1966.}

A Getty Images caption from 1966 describes the casino's interior as “designed with a woman in mind” with “porcelain sculpture, plush carpets, soothing colors and dimly lit chandeliers.”

Other older photos show the exterior in 2008.

^{A general view of the Tropicana Resort & Casino May 5, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Casino operator Tropicana Entertainment LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after missing interest payments on a $1.32 billion loan. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)}

The exterior of the resort in 1958.

^{General view as a vintage car drives past the exterior of The Tropicana Hotel circa 1958 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Hy Peskin/Getty Images)}

Elizabeth Taylor in the Tropicana lobby “dripping diamond jewelry” in 1959.

^{American pop singer Eddie Fisher (3R) with actress fiancee Elizabeth Taylor, who is rocking diamond jewelry, as Pat Newcomb (C), Marilyn Monroe's press agent, walks behind her in the lobby after his show, in Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1959. (Photo by John Bryson/Getty Images)}