The Last Tower of an Iconic Las Vegas Casino Blown to Bits

In what can be only described as an “end to an era”, the famous Riviera Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas was completely demolished after a year of being closed due to bankruptcy. The final piece of the monumental venue, known as the Monte Carlo wing, fell down this Tuesday in a scheduled implosion.

The demolition of the tower came only two months after the taller Monaco wing was imploded, only this time curious passers-by weren’t given a viewing area to watch the demolition. Still, a few could resist taking photographs and videos of this historic scene.

The Riviera Casino and Hotel was long associated with the mob, being first conceived by a Detroit mobster and later allegedly financed and co-run by the gambling syndicate of Las Vegas. Throughout the years, the casino had been the hosting venue for a large number of popular acts like Liberace and Debbie Reynolds, a home to one of the most famous slot collections in Vegas, as well as the backdrop of cult films like Diamonds are Forever and Casino.

The Riviera was officially closed in May 2015, following a failure to recover from its 2010 bankruptcy. Before the closure, the venue was bought off for $182.5 million by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in February the same year, and then leased to its previous operators who decided to close it on May 4. The property will now be used as a construction site for the new Las Vegas Convention Centre.

The implosion of the Monte Carlo tower happened at 2:30 AM, in front of the eyes of nostalgic locals who remembered the venue from its heydays, but without the atmosphere surrounding the previous detonation, which was preceded by fireworks, bands and showgirls.