Las Vegas teen photographer captures historic Tropicana casino in its final days
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - As the Tropicana nears the end of its era on the Las Vegas Strip, a local teen is doing his part to hold on to the memory of the historic hotel.
“Between the glass ceiling and the lavish pool, it just feels so Vegas, the epitome of the word,” said 17-year-old photographer Alex Gassaway.
Monday, he brought his camera to the Tropicana to capture its final days on the Las Vegas Strip.
“Definitely expected to see more people out here to see its final days,” he said. “Right now it feels eerie, like it feels like an imitation of what it used to be... a place that should be full of life and vibrance just kind of slowly decaying until it inevitably falls.”
Come April 2, Alex said he’ll be sad to see the Tropicana go. With it, a classic Las Vegas feel that he said is becoming harder to find on the Strip.
“I definitely see it pivoting more towards luxury and consumerism, rather than what Vegas is about, that kind of fun, that old feeling, the just uniqueness of Vegas,” he said.
Long after the Tropicana is gone, Alex hopes his photos will serve as a memory of what stood on this iconic corner for 67 years.
“Because I think it’s important to preserve and archive our history so that future generations, even though it’s not here, you can still look back on it. It’s a form of physical memory of a place,” he said. “So even though it’s gone, it’s not entirely gone.“
