Stardust Was Imploded 10 Years Ago, We Still Get Weepy

7 Comments

• 
  Edward Kwiatkowski January 17, 2020

  It was stupid to demolish it. There are too many dunderheads making decisions about things that they can't recognize as being special. The Stardust had a timeless appeal that is inexplicable. Demolishing it is just another example of Las Vegas's and America's wasteful culture. One more thing regulated to my nostalgic memory.

  Reply
• 
  Funkhouser_1 March 13, 2017

  As much as we want to romanticize the old north strip, these places are gone due to the reality of economics. Desert Inn was near death before Steve Wynn bought it up in 2000. The New Frontier was run down but still making money for Ruffin. Westward Ho was dump, barley cracking a profit. The Riv an aging old lady losing its customer base to the south strip. The Stardust and Sahara were hanging on only to their nostalgia, loyal customer base, but still not generating the kinda of revenue of south strip properties during early 2000's. Reality was these places were going to fail eventually if they were not redeveloped. The land at the time was worth more to owners then the casino / buildings. Chalk it all up to bad timing. Phil Ruffin was the only guy who managed to beat the timing of collapse, make his money and buy back into the market at the right price. I think even if the Stardust had not been imploded it would have slowly died much like the Riveria.

  Reply
• 
  ZzjitterzZ March 13, 2017

  Just think- Boyd could have had 10 more years and counting of revenue from the Stardust had they just not imploded it. Instead, they owned a hole in the ground that they just recently sold. Tsk tsk.

  Reply
• 
  Bouldersteve March 13, 2017

  I also stayed at the Stardust on my first trip to Vegas in the early eighties. Remember they had a great sportsbook, Back then most strip hotels did not have a sportsbook.Left with some chips and when i went back years later after it was sold to Boyd the dealer told me the chips were no good now. But the pit boss let me play with them anyway...only about 30 dollars worth. I lost so should have kept them as a souvenir

  Reply View 1 replies Hide replies
• 
  ZzjitterzZ March 13, 2017

  Sportsbooks in Vegas owe their existence to the Stardust and "Lefty" Rosenthal.

  Reply
• 
  RustyHammer March 13, 2017

  The loss of the Stardust was the beginning of the end for the north end of the strip. I don't recall the sequence, but I feel like it began with the shuttering of Stardust. If not, then its shuttering was the symbolic end. We lost the Frontier and Riv, as well as the crappy little Ho. And things got so bad at the Sahara that they couldn't even attract enough low rollers to keep it viable. Turns out they can't attract enough millenials, either.

  Reply
• 
  Rooster March 13, 2017

  *pours out a 40 to honor a dead homie*

  Reply