Hacienda

Hacienda opened in 1956 and closed in 1996, after 40 years, on the Las Vegas Strip. On the site today: Mandalay Bay.

The story

Warren Bayley, who owned Hacienda hotels in California, opened the Hacienda at the south end of the Strip in 1956. Regulators held up the casino until 17 October 1956 over his choice of casino manager. Standing apart from the other resorts, it was the first in Las Vegas to aim at families, and until 1962 it flew guests in on its own planes. After Bayley died in 1964 his widow Judy ran it, at the time the only woman owning a casino in Las Vegas. Later came ice shows and Lance Burton's magic show. Circus Circus Enterprises closed it on 1 December 1996 and imploded it on 31 December 1996 on live television. Mandalay Bay opened there in 1999.

• Opened1956
• Closed1996
• There nowMandalay Bay

Nearby, also gone

• Klondike 1962–2006 · up to 153 roomsNow: A Harley-Davidson dealership (since 2014)
• Tropicana Las Vegas 1957–2024 · up to 1,467 roomsNow: Ballpark site for the Athletics
• Boardwalk 1966–2006 · up to 653 roomsNow: Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, part of CityCenter

Old Vegas: where to still see it

Facts from Hacienda on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).