Iconic mob-era Las Vegas Strip casino closes

Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. Image by Bogdan Migulski / CC BY 2.0

One of the last remaining mob-era casinos on the Las Vegas Strip will be torn down. The 60-year-old Riviera Hotel and Casino, where Liberace and Frank Sinatra once performed headlining acts, closed at noon on Monday. The first high-rise building on the Strip, the Riviera was notable for its architecture – previously casinos were little more than roadside motor courts. In 2010, the company that owned the Riviera filed for bankruptcy as a result of declining popularity. In 2015 Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority acquired the property and announced plans to tear down the iconic casino. The Las Vegas tourism agency says it plans to use the extra space to expand the convention center. Read more: nytimes.com