Thunderbird (resort)
The Thunderbird Hotel was a Las Vegas, Nevada hotel/casino that operated from September 2, 1948 to July 6, 1992, and was the fourth resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip. For the last 15 years of its existence, it changed names twice, first as the Silverbird in 1977, and then the El Rancho in 1982, borrowing the name of the very first resort that opened on the Strip.
The Thunderbird has the distinction of being the resort where singer Rosemary Clooney made her first appearance in Las Vegas in 1951, and where Judy Garland made her final Vegas appearance in 1965.
On July 6, 1992, the resort closed it doors for good. Like many of the other legendary resorts, it became a throwback to the old days and could no longer compete with the newer resorts that were being built. For 8 years the building lay vacant while developers competed with one another for the land. Among the proposed projects included a casino called Starship Orion where the resort would be shaped like a huge starship. Eventually, in 2000 the land was purchased by Turnberry Associates, and on October 3, 2000, the old resort was imploded.
The Turnberry Place condominium complex now stands on its former grounds.