SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Oakland’s Athletics baseball team is expected to move to Las Vegas, Nev., after the 2024 season, but its new stadium isn’t expected to open until 2028. An implosion Wednesday marked the first step towards the move.
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In the blast, the iconic Tropicana hotel along the Las Vegas strip came crashing down. It was accompanied by a show from Fireworks Grucci, including 555 drones, and there was a live feed of the implosion online when it occurred at 2:30 p.m. PT.
“The demolition of the Tropicana is an important milestone in the process of bringing A’s baseball to the world-renowned Las Vegas Strip and the community of Southern Nevada,” said John Fisher, owner of the A’s. “We hope that, in time, this site will become a place of unforgettable experiences for fans of the game. We extend our gratitude to Bally's and GLPI for their partnership as we embark on this project together.”
Peter Hartlaub, Culture Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently spoke to KCBS Radio about the team’s history in Oakland. He wrote about some of the wilder moments at the Coliseum stadium for the Chronicle.
“I was feeling sad about what’s happening to the Oakland A’s and Oakland A’s fans,” he said.
The A’s have been in the Bay Area since 1968. They’re expected to briefly move to Sacramento, Calif., before moving to Las Vegas. Last November, Major League Baseball approved the relocation of the Athletics to Las Vegas, per a press release.
According to Bally’s, the Tropicana opened in 1957 and has since been a cornerstone of the Las Vegas Strip, a street filled with hotels and casinos. It was developed by Miami-based businessman Ben Jaffe, and had South Beach-inspired architecture as well as a tropical theme. Rat Pack entertainers such as Frank Sinatra became a common sight there.
“For over six decades, the Tropicana Las Vegas has remained an iconic fixture on the Strip, representing the evolution of entertainment, luxury and gaming in the city,” said Bally’s. Now that the hotel has come down, work can begin on what Bally’s called “the future home of the Athletics and a cutting-edge entertainment complex.”
Bally’s said the implosion was facilitated by GGG Demolition in coordination with Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI). Two towers – the steel-framed 23-story Paradise Tower and the concrete-framed 23-story Club Tower – covering a total of 917,400 square feet were demolished.
Some people in Las Vegas were sad to see the legendary hotel go, according to a report from ABC News.
“To have it imploded… you kind of crossed a line there,” said a woman who spoke to the station.
Steve Wynn, a Las Vegas casino mogul started a tradition of imploding casinos in 1993 when the Dunes came down to make way for the Bellagio, said the Associated Press. He televised the event and created a story about the nearby Treasure Island casino firing cannons at the casino, causing its downfall.
The Tropicana is not the only well-known Las Vegas hotel and casino to come down recently. This July, Audacy reported on the closure of The Mirage hotel and casino after 35 years. Soon, the land where it was will be home to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas.
In addition to a new ballpark for the A’s, there will also a “world-class entertainment resort destination created in partnership with Bally’s Corporation,” at the former Tropicana site, the company said.
Once complete, the new stadium on the Vegas Strip is expected to have a 33,000-person capacity and views of the city’s skyline, according to MLB. It was designed to have tiers to allow sight lines from every seat, its outfield will feature the world’s largest cable-net glass window and it is also expected to have the largest videoboard in MLB.
“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,” said Soo Kim, chairman of Bally'’ Corporation. “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. This moment in Las Vegas history represents more than just the next chapter – it’s the evolution of the Strip, where legend meets innovation to create something truly unforgettable.”
LV Sports Biz reported Saturday that Nevada was waiting for A’s owner John Fisher to submit an official stadium funding plan. It said the project is expected to cost $1.5 billion. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board of Directors is expected to discuss the project next Thursday.
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