Riviera hotel casino tower comes down in true Vegas fashion

The Riviera hotel casino’s Monaco Tower on the Las Vegas Strip was imploded in the early morning hours of June 14, 2016, in dramatic fashion, including fireworks. Nearby high rises, a VIP viewing party and people on the street all celebrated as the 29-year-old portion of the hotel came down at approximately 2:35 a.m.

The 24-story tower was an addition to the property added in 1987. Local television station KTNV notes it was the ninth property to open on the Las Vegas Strip, opening in 1955. The hotel closed in May 2015. It included 2,100 rooms and 110,000 square feet of gaming space.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bought the property for $190 million in February 2015 and plan to expand its convention facilities on the site. The $2.3 billion expansion will include 750,000 square feet of new exhibit space and 187,500 square feet of meeting space.

The second shorter tower is scheduled to be imploded in August. A specific date has yet to be determined.