The former Clarion Hotel and Casino, which closed last Labor Day, was imploded on Tuesday.
Almost all of the 12-story,
200-room hotel on Convention Center Drive was demolished by the explosives. Workers used a crane to help topple
the remaining elevator shaft and stairwell.
The hotel opened in 1970 as the
Royal Inn, and was known as the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel when it was owned by the actress in the 1990s. During its existence, the property also was known as the Royal Americana, Paddlewheel and Greek Isles. It became the Clarion brand's only casino-hotel in 2013.
Developer Lorenzo Doumani
paid $22.5 million for the six-acre site last year and is planning to build a non-gaming
hotel.