'The end of an era': Preserving Tropicana's hotel, casino history
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LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Whether it's memories of their time at the hotel's pool or taking in one of its longlist of entertainment acts, making sure records are kept of the Tropicana Hotel and Casino is top of mind for many.
For longtime Las Vegas visitor Lisa DeVoy Grager, who said she had the time of her life at the historic hotel in her early 20s, it was important to share the experience with her son.
"It is cool to say that our last time was there together," DeVoy Grager said. "It feels pretty cool that you have a kid in their 20s that still wants to vacation and go out with you; that in itself is great, but to be able to have a Spring Break with him in my happy place cause I love Vegas so much, to enjoy it with him and see him be happy."
Last weekend, she and her son stopped by the beloved hotel one last time.
"We walked through, but I told him about, like, back when I remember you walked through, and they had all the tropical theme, the birds, and that kind of stuff."
She said she is sad to see the historic business go but hopes its legacy is always remembered.
To help with that and preserve the famous Strip's history, safely stores records of past and present hotels and casinos.
The Tropicana will be adding to its collection.
"Of course, they are one of the oldest hotels and casinos in the city, and their closure is the end of an era," said Sarah Quigley, the director of UNLV's Special Collections & Archives. "We want to make sure that we are documenting the influence that they had on our city."
Quigley said although details of what exactly the library will take in from the historic casino are yet to be finalized, she believes it will be similar to what it already has in its collection.
"Entertainment files, whoever was performing at the hotel and casino, there would be correspondence, between them and the talent booking department, examples of their contracts or photos of them on stage," she said.
The university's collection is open to anyone interested in taking a trip down memory lane.
