One Year Ago Today: Riviera’s Monaco Tower Came Down
Vegas History: Riviera’s Monaco Tower Implosion – June 14th, 2016
A year ago today, the Monaco Tower of Riviera Hotel and Casino came down in a spectacular cloud of dust preceded by a firework display. The Monaco Tower was the youngest of the Riv’s tall towers and was completed in 1987.
Here’s a video shot by Greg C of Monaco Tower’s implosion, the actual implosion starts at the 6:25 mark.
https://youtu.be/SuCgM9HStcM
Prior to the implosion, Greg C photographed the Riv as it was prepped for implosion.
Now, the land that once held The Riviera is a huge parking lot courtesy of the LVCVA. They tout it as “outdoor exhibition space” but, it’s a parking lot. A fucking parking lot. The Riviera opened its doors in 1955 closing in 2015 in their 60th year for liquidation after filing for bankruptcy in 2010.
[Photos: Greg C]
Michael Movestro founded Vegas Bright to continue the tradition when Vegas Chatter cashed out. Michael pays the bills, maintains the site, writes articles, hosts VBN – Vegas Bright Newscast.
15 thoughts on “One Year Ago Today: Riviera’s Monaco Tower Came Down”
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*pours out a 40 to honor a dead homie*
*Sings “It’s Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men*
A fucking parking lot. Well put !
*Tips his hat*
Please don’t remind us of loosing another land mark, it broke my heart when we lost the Star Dust & the Frontier, I wonder how long Circus Circus will last now that the others are gone!
Circus Circus is going to be there for a long time. Year after year it’s a big money maker for MGM.
Where’s a sad emoji when you need it the most? The Monaco was the first room I stayed in at the Riviera and also my first trip to Vegas. I still have my original casino club card.
That reminds me of a future Author for a Day contest we will have soon. “Your Vegas Collection”
it was never a favorite spot of mine, but I would stop in there when I was on the strip. I used to spend a lot of time at Stardust, Frontier, the Ho, and Slots A Fun. sometimes I would cross the street and go to the Riviera for the heck of it. It kills me to see those old joints go. and now I can’t recall when is the last time that I have been to the strip.
Not just to create a parking lot, but they bulldozed two perfectly good parking structures to create a parking lot! Many of us have connected the dots to some dirty dealing, which I can’t go into on the record.
You tease, you! lol
The convention space could spur new development around the new convention space. Very unlikely the struggling hotel and casino would have done that much for the north end. Lets stay positive.
It has big shoes to fill. The “convention space” is a parking lot. Not sure it could spur new development around it. The Riviera did spur development around it and outlasted most of it.
A fucking parking lot, A very ugly one at that. I still have my riv players club card. As for the circus, a shuttle driver told me on my last trip to town that it is the busiest hotel on the strip because it is family friendly as well as their prices. I tend to agree.
Agreed, Circus Circus isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.