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In 1966, the Teamsters Pension Fund provided funding for Carroll to finish his hotel. Unfortunately, Carroll would again run out of funding and never open the hotel. He sold it to Howard Hughes who opened the hotel in July 1969.

The Landmark, it seems, was a doomed property from the start.  It struggled to ever provide a profit. Given it’s iconic tower design and inability to consistently earn a profit, it is one of the few Las Vegas casinos that never had a major change in its exterior throughout its lifetime.

The Landmark’s iconic shape led to it having a cameo in the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever and in Martin Scorcese’s film Casino. But, it couldn’t live up to that success. The hotel would change owners throughout the 70s and 80s with each ownership group promising to bring it around. At one point, it was even officially renamed The New Landmark.

None of it would work, however, and the Landmark officially closed its doors in August 1990. The building would sit vacant until 1995 when it was imploded to make way for more Las Vegas Convention Center parking. The implosion sequence was used in the film Mars Attacks.

The Landmark land to this day is still a parking lot. The only remnants are a restored sign that now sits along Paradise where the casino once stood. What is clear is that the building’s iconic appearance has led to it living on in the hearts of many people. It even has its own facebook group. What’s very clear is that while the Landmark couldn’t succeed during its life, it is remembered fondly since its demise.

(Photos: Landmark Facebook Page, Vintage Vegas on Flickr, and cardcow.com)