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Las Vegas Casino Goes Out With a Bang
13-Mar-2007
Written by: Courtney Thompson
55-year-old Stardust was detonated at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Las Vegas’ Stardust casino was destroyed early Tuesday by a detonation of fireworks to make way for the $4.4 billion Echelon Place.
The structure was destroyed with 428 pounds of explosives, and 20 water cannons were sprayed onto it to control the dust cloud, while hundreds of onlookers partied under tents nearby.
Stardust was once the biggest resort on the strip and known for their friendly atmosphere, cheap accommodations and mobster connections. In the 1995 movie, Casino, Robert De Niro played the character of Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, owner of Stardust in the 1970s.
The resort began to fade out after losing their gambling license in 1985 and being bought by Boyd Gaming Corp., and in 1991 when its Lido de Paris showgirl extravaganza ended after a 32-year run. The trend of resorts making most of their money off of gambling is falling out of favor to more expensive rooms and attractions.
Echelon Place is scheduled to be built by 2010, boasting 5,300 rooms, a shopping mall, a production theatre and concert venue.
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