Boom: Down Goes Dunes!

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’re at the end of the list and at the most engaging implosion – Dunes. The implosion looks like a big party and was topped off with a $1 million fireworks show. If you’re going to get blown up, this is how to do it! This is a great end to the Top 10 Vegas Strip Hotel Implosions.

Opened: May 23, 1955

Closed: Jan. 26, 1993

Imploded: Oct. 27, 1993

With the slogan “The Miracle in the Desert,” the Dunes offered a desert oasis theme and featured a 35-foot-tall fiberglass sultan on its roof. The walls inside the Dunes were slanted, mirroring desert tents.

Through the years, the Dunes continued to add “Arabian Nights” themed elements including an onion-shaped dome. The hotel eventually added performers such as like Aztec Birdman, who performed ritual dances, and flying Indians to perform by the pool.

In 1961, the Dunes added the Diamond of the Dunes, a tower that was the largest in the state, bring the total number of rooms available to 400. In 1976, another 17-story tower was added, which brought the number of rooms to 1,300.

The Dunes hosted entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and offered the first topless revues on the strip, known as Minsky’s Follies.

In 1987, Japanese millionaire Masao Nangaku purchased the resort for $155 million. Nangaku could not make the Dunes successful and in 1993, sold it to Steve Wynn’s Mirage Resorts Inc. for $75 million. It was ceremoniously imploded on Oct. 27, 1993. The Bellagio occupies the site.