The closing of a classic Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino can mark the end of an era. It’s an occasion preceded by reflection and nostalgia, capped off with a ceremonious implosion that leaves only photo images and hotel-branded artifacts as the last links to a property’s history. The Rivera Hotel & Casino is the latest legacy of the Strip’s golden age to fall victim to progress, its 26 acres of land having been purchased by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in order to create the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Global Business District. On May 4, two weeks after its 60th anniversary, the Riviera closes its doors forever.

There are few signs remaining of the Riviera’s glitzy past, save for the pride shared among longtime staff. The resort opened April 20, 1955, with Joan Crawford serving as master of ceremonies and Liberace announced as the first marquee performer, making a whopping $50,000 per week. The Riviera continued to book high-caliber talent for more than 25 years. Musical acts from Herb Alpert to Pia Zadora played there, while comedians from Woody Allen to Jonathan Winters shook the showrooms with laughter. Barbra Streisand, Bob Newhart, Diana Ross, Engelbert Humperdinck, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Lola Falana and Orson Welles are just a sampling of the pantheon of performers that played the Riviera.

The glimmer began to dim in the ’80s, with the property increasingly catering to a more everyman demographic, although it continued to be a coveted stand-up gig for years to come. “It was always slow during the week but then great on the weekends when I played there,” said Mike & Molly’s Billy Gardell, who was often played the Riviera as a young comedian in the ’90s. “And it was a great thing to be a part of back then. The Riv is the last real jewel in the middle Strip. I mean, once that’s gone … the Stardust is gone now. (The Strip has) become a lot bigger and shinier. The Riv still had the history of Rickles and guys like that back in the day.”

The Riviera’s visibility got a boost after director Martin Scorsese used it for interiors shots for Casino in order to get an authentic ’70s look. It still looks old-school at the Riviera, inside and out. At night, rows of bulbs blink in sequence beneath the overhang that covers the Strip-side entrances, while reflective exterior surfaces glow with rich hues from neon vertical lights and star clusters. The modestly sized casino is directly accessible from the entrance doors, and its showrooms continue to feature comedians, magicians (currently Dirk Arthur) and Crazy Girls, a show advertised by the famous bronze sculpture of seven G-stringed female behinds at the entrance.

That statue will likely find a new home, but one feature that speaks to the resort’s place in Vegas history will be preserved in place: The photo collection on the showroom levels featuring classic images—from Liberace and Elvis hamming it up to Ann-Margret’s 1967 debut and Dolly Parton’s 1981 engagement for a then-unprecedented $350,000 per week—will find a new home within Las Vegas Global Business District, enabling the legacy of the Riviera to live on.