BOOM: So Long Sands · EDGe Vegas

In light of the pending implosion of The Harmon, Vegas Inc. decided to list the Top 10 Vegas Strip Hotel implosions. I love implosions and figured this was a good excuse to visit the youtube archives.

For the next couple of weeks I’ll grab video of these 10 Las Vegas Strip Hotel implosions. We go to #3 on the list – The Sands.

Opened: Dec. 15, 1952

Closed: June 30, 1996

Imploded: Nov. 26, 1996

The seventh resort on the Strip opened Dec. 15, 1952. It was designed by architect Wayne McAllister.

The Sands opened with only a few hundred rooms. Through the years, it passed through the hands of several Las Vegas land tycoons, including Howard Hughes, who purchased it in the mid 1960s. Hughes added an iconic 500-room circular tower designed by architect Martin Stern Jr.

Other owners included Howard Hughes, who purchased it in 1988, and, in 1989, the Interface Group, which included Sheldon Adelson.

The original “Oceans 11” movie was filmed at the Sands in 1960. The film — including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford — inspired a meeting, known as the Summit at the Sands, and united the stars, known worldwide as the Rat Pack.

Along with “Oceans 11,” the Sands was featured in “Con Air” and “The Cooler.” In 1996, Adelson closed the famous resort and imploded it to make way for the Venetian.