Sun Staff

Wednesday, April 3, 1957 | 6 a.m.

Today is T-Day in Las Vegas. Ending an extended period of anxiety, the prevue opening of the mighty Tropicana takes place this morning with all Las Vegans and visitors invited to view the regally beautiful resort hotel, the most ambitious on the colorful strip.

On hand to touch off the special opening for Las Vegas at 10 this morning will be Lt. Gov. Rex Bell, Mayor C. D. Baker and singing star Eddie Fisher, who opens tonight in a premiere performance headlining "Monte Proser's Tropicana Renue."

Today's opening climaxes a period of impatient waiting that dates back almost two years to the time ground was broken for what promised to be the finest and most beautiful hotel ever constructed in this country.

Since that day, about $15 million dollars have been invested in creating the incomparable Tropicana, whose regal charm and beauty are unmatched across the country.

World travelers who have toured the hotel since it has been readied for occupancy have compared it favorably with the very finest both here and abroad.

For Las Vegans, the Tropicana opening heralds a bright new era in the resort industry and indicates that obituaries promiscuously written have been more than a little exaggerated.

With its opening, the Tropicana offers luxurious facilities that promise to attract an entirely untouched segment of the social hierarchy, the top levels of society.

Standout physical features of the hotel include 300 luxurious rooms and suites, tremendous public areas, including spacious and secluded lobbies and foyers, television rooms, peacock alleys that bypass the casino for easy access to all other rooms, a tremendous Theatre Restaurant and the exquisite Perino's Gourmet Room.

An $800,000 landscaping project is highlighted by tropical planting surrounding the unusual pool area, rock gardens and lily ponds, tremendous palms and olive trees and picturesque roof gardens.