8 memorable businesses, shows that Las Vegas lost in 2016 — PHOTOS
From the iconic Riviera hotel-casino to the showgirl spectacular “Jubilee,” Las Vegas said goodbye to several landmark sites and beloved shows in 2016.
As we start the new year, here’s a look back at eight memorable closings of 2016 in Las Vegas:
She's gone #RivieraImplosion pic.twitter.com/GmlrD2VU3b
— Rachel Crosby (@rachelacrosby) June 14, 2016
The iconic Riviera ended a 60-year run on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip in June, as the historic hotel-casino was reduced to rubble by 18 delayed detonations to pave the way for an expanded convention center.
Mermaids, originally named the Silver Palace when it first opened in 1956 in downtown Las Vegas, kept locals and tourists alike coming back for the casino’s beloved deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos up until it shut its doors for good in June.
Having been a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip since July 1981, Bally’s Las Vegas closed the curtains on Donn Arden’s showgirl spectacular “Jubilee!” — the Strip’s longest-running production show — in February.
A never-ending flow of red or white wine served out of baby bottles and an eclectic Red Light District theme weren’t enough to keep this downtown Las Vegas eatery open. After opening its doors in winter of 2015, F. Pigalle abruptly shut its doors in May.
A Las Vegas landmark for several decades, the 52,000-square-foot Walker Furniture warehouse was torn down in April to make way for the $1 billion Project Neon, a 3.7-mile Spaghetti Bowl-to-Sahara Avenue rehabilitation project on Interstate 15. Although the iconic warehouse is no more, customers can still visit Walker’s 220,000-square-foot main showroom.
Credit: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
Although La Bayou had several names over the last 100 years, the property holds the distinction of receiving the first state gaming license in 1931. Known for being one of the few casinos that still allowed customers to cash out coins instead of paper vouchers, La Bayou closed in June.
3 more days until #Zarkana's final performance! Let's reminisce about the time they made their big move 2 @AriaLV!https://t.co/FLQp5LxDsU
— Cirque du Soleil (@Cirque) April 27, 2016
The “Rock-Opera Circus” known as “Zarkana” closed at Aria in April to make way for a $154 million convention center expansion. The Cirque du Soleil show replaced “Viva Elvis” after its closing in 2012.
Fremont Street lost its only topless gentlemen’s club when developers Derek and Greg Stevens closed the Glitter Gulch in June.
