LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — In 1979 guests at the Tropicana Las Vegas toasted to the addition of the 600-room Tiffany Tower which, due to its structural steel frame, appears simpler to implode as compared to its reinforced concrete-framed sister.

On Wednesday plans for the Oct. 9 implosion of the two hotel towers on the Tropicana property were released by Bally’s Entertainment. The demolition of the two 23-story structures the Club Tower and Paradise Tower, formerly known as the Tiffany Tower, call for over 2,000 pounds of explosives.

The opening act of the 2:30 a.m. implosion show is set to start with 555 drones taking to the skies above the Las Vegas Strip enticing viewers to look up for one last time before the demolition brings down 67 years of history.

Not far from the “demo” site UNLV architecture students sitting in their design studios on the corner building of campus can see the two towering structures from their windows, but it’s a moment their professor, Glenn Nowak, has seen before.

“I’ve been here in Las Vegas for almost two decades,” Nowak said. “I enjoy thinking back to my time seeing the Stardust, Riviera, and Frontier [implosions].”

However, the plans for the Tropicana have a novel difference as the steel-framed and reinforced concrete-framed towers have an uneven number of explosives. The Paradise Tower plans to use 490 pounds of explosives whereas the Club Tower calls for 1,700 pounds.

“We might have assumed that more dynamite would be used for that simple steel frame structure,” Nowak said. “But what’s happening with a reinforced concrete structure and perhaps a big reason why we’re seeing more of the explosives assigned to that building is it’s actually a combination of concrete and steel.”

Nowak said reinforced concrete maximizes the structural properties of both steel and concrete which created a strong “compression.”

“That’s like the pressing force that is experienced both in vertical columns and in horizontal slabs,” he said. “But to make that concrete even stronger, they embed it with reinforcing steel… Thus, each pound of explosive is having to really rip apart an arguably stronger structure overall.”

Comparatively, Nowak said steel frame structures tend to be 60% to 70% lighter than their concrete counterparts and as much as ten times stronger.

Once the drones rest, spectators will be tested to not miss the dueling implosions as it will only take a matter of approximately 22 seconds for the property’s demolition once the button is pressed.

A tale of two towers

On Apr. 4, 1957, the only 300-room Tropicana opened with a South Beach-inspired architecture and tropical theme—the brainchild of businessmen Ben Jaffee and Phil Kastel.

For years the property allured guests and performers from around the country including the debut of Sigfried and Roy in 1967 and Sean Connery in 1971.

In 1979, the Tropicana grew beyond its original room count adding the Tiffany Tower and an eye-catching glass ceiling above its main entrance.

The lone tower gained its sister in 1986 on the southeast corner of the property with the now-known Club Tower. The addition came with $70 million in renovations which saw the creation of a five-acre pool featuring tropical fauna and floating blackjack tables.

Both towers will take their final bow on the Las Vegas Strip at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 9 following a fireworks show by Grucci Controlled Demolition.