VIDEO: Implosion Of Iconic Riviera Casino In Las Vegas Sends Huge Plumes Of Dust Over Strip
LAS VEGAS (CBS SF) -- A relic of a bygone era when high-style and high-rollers ruled the Las Vegas Strip has gone out with a bang.
The last tower of the iconic Riviera Hotel and Casino was reduced to rubble early Tuesday morning, in an impressive implosion that sent giant plumes of dust over the Las Vegas skyline.
The shuttered structure, along with the 22-story Monte Carlo tower, fell down with amazing grace, marking the end of more than half a century of Vegas lore.
Opened in 1955, The Riviera was the very first high-rise on the Strip, and become home to the iconic Hollywood Rat Pack -- Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford Joey Bishop and their leader Humphrey Bogart.
The hotel provided the backdrop to the Rat Pack's original "Ocean's Eleven" in 1960 and other classic movies including the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever;" Martin Scorsese's "Casino" in 1995; and the Hangover in 2009. It was also a setting for scenes in the latest "Jason Bourne" film.
The Riviera's 24-story Monaco Tower was imploded in June.
The 2,075-room property closed in May 2015 after 60 years. The site has been purchased by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and earmarked to be part of a new $1.4 billion convention center project.
CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.