A treasure trove of keepsakes: the Tropicana is scheduled to be imploded this week, but its memories will live on through the University of Nevada Las Vegas. The UNLV contacted the owners of the Tropicana and simply picked up the memorabilia. The collection includes photos, business reports, menus, training manuals, and more.

As the iconic Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort meets its end in a planned implosion on Wednesday, its history won't be entirely lost to time. Just two miles from the soon-to-be-vacant lot, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is ensuring that the memories and legacy of the Rat Pack landmark will endure. Nevada's biggest university has recently acquired five boxes of materials from the Tropicana, which have been carefully processed and made available to the public.

UNLV's Special Collections and Archives department didn't wait for history to be wiped away before taking action. As soon as it learned that Bally's Corporation, which purchased the Tropicana for $148 million in 2022 from Gaming & Leisure Properties, planned to close and demolish the historic property, the department swiftly reached out to preserve its past.

"We met with them early on to explain what we were interested in," Sarah Quigley, the director of UNLV's Special Collections, stated. "And then, as they were decommissioning the building, the staff gathered things up and we went over one day and just picked it up."

A race against time to preserve history

Las Vegas is notorious for prioritizing new developments over the preservation of its history, and the Tropicana's implosion is another reminder of the city's forward-looking nature. However, institutions such as UNLV play a crucial role in capturing and safeguarding details about the past that might otherwise be lost.

The materials from the Tropicana include architectural renderings from different renovations, memos, business reports, financial records, and training manuals. According to Quigley, the training manuals offer the most significant insight into the casino's operations and its impact on the surrounding community.

She added that for example, the manual they gave to phone operators describes not only how they were to run the telecoms but the expectations from them in terms of customer service. "This tells us a lot about the culture of a business and how this one stayed in business so long," Quigley added.

A glimpse into the glamor of Las Vegas' entertainment

More than the operational documents, the Tropicana collection includes more glamorous elements as well. It holds photographs, brochures, and programs from many of Tropicana's legendary entertainment offerings. Among the highlights are materials from Folies Bergere, the longest-running show in the history of Vegas. This iconic showgirl revue graced the Tropicana stage from 1959 to 2009.

UNLV's collection even boasts a box of film reels from the 1970s that captured Folies Bergere in action. These reels, which Quigley describes as "super cool," have yet to be digitized but hold significant promise for future documentaries exploring Las Vegas' rich entertainment history.

"I think that would be something good to put online when the time comes," Quigley noted, expressing her hope for these materials to one day be available to a wider audience.

UNLV's special collections: a look back at gaming history

The Tropicana memorabilia will join UNLV's vast Special Collections and Archives department, which preserves over 11,000 linear feet of manuscripts and archives. Located in the Lied Library along Maryland Parkway, UNLV's archive may not rival the size of those at larger universities, but when it comes to gaming history, it stands alone.

As the only major university in Las Vegas, UNLV's collection of gaming-related materials is unrivaled worldwide. Its archive not only preserves the history of the Strip's legendary casinos but also provides a detailed account of the city's rise as a global entertainment hub.

For those nostalgic for the Tropicana's glamorous past, UNLV's Special Collections offers a way to relive the memories. Whether it's through architectural drawings, business records, or unseen footage of Las Vegas' longest-running show, the university ensures that the Tropicana's history won't be forgotten.

As Las Vegas once again paves over one of its historic landmarks to make way for new developments, institutions like UNLV remind us that, while buildings may come and go, the stories they hold can live on forever through careful preservation.