The Hacienda... A flight into the unknown.

The Hacienda hotel started out as the Lady Luck, at the far south end of Las Vegas boulevard close to Mccarren airfield. Work on the Lady Luck Hotel had begun by 1953 but before construction reached the halfway mark, the projects' financing fell apart, and management was denied a gaming license by state regulators. One of the investors, Warren "Doc" Bayley, a travel columnist and owner of the Hacienda Motel in Fresno, stepped in to take over, agreeing to lease the property for $55,000 per month for 15 years. He changed the name from Lady Luck to Hacienda.
The Hacienda opened on October 17, 1956 at a cost of $6 million, with 266 rooms and the largest swimming pool on the Strip, with a Spanish colonial theme.
Bayley pioneered junket gaming when he formed Hacienda Airlines in 1957, one of the first strip property airlines, Offering packages that included transportation from Los Angeles to the Hacienda as well as a room and some complimentary chips. The airline included DC 3s and DC 4s and Lockheed Constellations listing as many as 30 aircraft in its fleet.
After Bayley's death in 1965, his widow, Judith Bayley, took over management, after her death, the property was sold in 1972 for $5 million to a group led by Allen Glick who was later revealed as a frontman for organized crime interests.
In 1977, Paul Lowden, the Hacienda's entertainment director and owner of a 15 percent stake, bought out Glick and the other owners for $21 million. The Nevada gaming control board voted to deny Lowden a license due to his association with Glick, but was overruled by the Gaming commission.
In 1995, the Hacienda was purchased by Circus Circus Enterprises from Lowden's Archon Corporation, this time, it was dwarfed by the many new megaresorts that were being built, in particular the Egyptian themed Luxor which had just been recently completed along with MGM grand on the other side of Tropicana Blvd.
On December 10, 1996, the Hacienda was closed to the public, and imploded later that month. This implosion was broadcast on the Fox network as a part of their New Year's Eve 1996 telecast. Despite the implosion, parts of the old resort still stood, due to the building not falling into its footprint, but toppling into its parking lot. The next day a wrecking crew was brought in to bring down the remaining parts.
Magician Herbert L Becker produced, directed and wrote his own show at the Hacienda beginning in 1977. The show ran for two years, on a staggered schedule before Becker went into retirement.
Magician Lance Burton also produced, directed and wrote his own show at the Hacienda beginning in 1991. The show ran for five years before Burton moved to the Monte Carlo resort just along the strip.
In March 1999, The Hacienda was replaced by the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.