Implosion of Tropicana casino makes room for new MLB ballpark

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- An implosion early Wednesday morning reduced the Tropicana Las Vegas casino to rubble to make way for construction of the new home of the Las Vegas Athletics baseball team.

The 22-second event reduced the Tropicana hotel and casino's west tower, followed by its east tower, and ended the historic casino's long time in Las Vegas shortly after 2:30 a.m. PDT.

Representatives from the casino owner Bally's Corporation, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Clark County attended the implosion, which included a closing ceremony that featured fireworks and lighted drones.

The Tropicana opened on April 4, 1957, and closed on April 2 after nearly 67 years and anchored the south end of the Las Vegas Strip for many years.

"The Tropicana Las Vegas was one of the original pioneers of the Strip, setting the stage for the vibrant, larger-than-life entertainment destination we know and love today," Bally's chairman Soo Kim said in a news release .

Kim said the Tropicana's implosion marks the "evolution of the Strip, where legend meets innovation to create something truly unforgettable."

"It's fitting that this iconic site now represents the future of Las Vegas as we look forward to welcoming Major League Baseball, the Athletics, and an exciting new entertainment complex," Kim added.

A new 33,000-seat domed MLB park is scheduled to open in 2028 as the home of the Las Vegas Athletics, which completed its final season in Oakland, Calif., in September and will play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for the 2025 through 2027 MLB seasons.

The baseball stadium will be located about a mile east of Allegiant Stadium, where the NFL Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV football teams host their home games, and about a mile southeast of T-Mobile Arena, where the Las Vegas Golden Knights hosts NHL hockey matches.

The site also is located about a mile southwest of the recently built Formula 1 racecourse stands and paddock that opened last year for the return of F1 racing to Las Vegas.

The new baseball stadium will be located very close to the Harry Reid International Airport, and a new entertainment complex is part of the new design plan for the former site of the Tropicana.

The ballpark has a $1.5 billion construction budget and will occupy 9 of the site's 35 acres.

Bally's intends to develop the rest of the site with a new resort.