In 1957, the Tropicana opened as the most lavish hotel and casino in Las Vegas, with a cascading 60-foot fountain and shimmering pool that piped Muzak underwater. The magicians Siegfried and Roy debuted there; Sean Connery’s James Bond stayed the night; and the Corleones of “The Godfather” took over. Feathered showgirls danced in its Folies Bergère cabaret, and the Tropicana became synonymous with the Strip’s swinging midcentury glory.
But on a recent weekday afternoon, just a few patrons played flashing slot machines inside the dimly lit, smoky casino. Beneath its ornate stained-glass ceiling, some of the blackjack and roulette tables were closed. A handful of people drank at the bar, where they watched the Vegas Golden Knights, the city’s new N.H.L. team. Outside, in the near 100-degree heat, middle-aged visitors in bikinis languished near an artificial rock formation by the pool.
