Implosion permit filed for Tropicana Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — What goes up must come down, even relics of 1950s Las Vegas. Clark County records show a commercial demolition implosion permit was filed Thursday morning for Tropicana Las Vegas by the contracted demolition company, Controlled Demolition. The last guest checked out of the property on April 2.

The permit requests the implosion of its 22-story concrete Tropicana Club and 22-story steel Paradise Tower in “a single explosive event.” Documents show demolition companies would begin setting up by, at the earliest, Sept. 30 and complete the work by Oct. 8.

Clark County’s Division of Air Quality confirmed to 8 News Now Thursday that asbestos abatement work is still in progress, as a pre-inspection report done at the end of last year detected widespread asbestos inside the two towers.

Representative of the Bally’s Corporation, the operator of the 1950s relic, declined to comment on specifics Thursday morning. They already announced that demolition would commence sometime in October without detailing how the two hotel towers would come down.

The permit is currently pending.

What the implosion and restrictions around it will look like has yet to be publicly revealed, though those who have seen other iconic hotels go up in dust are expecting another show.

“I was across the street (from the Stardust) and to actually see that in person, you’re going, ‘wow!’” Las Vegas resident Wayne Andre said outside the property Thursday afternoon. “All that dust, it was like a dust storm coming our way.”

“You had to be like five city blocks away and even then they had you courted off,” Texas tourist Saul Luna said. “It was pretty cool to see. You get a countdown and, you know, drink some beers and all that, and watch it come down.”

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