Question: I enjoyed your column on the dates the strip hotels were built. It brought to mind another question: Which present hotels were built on sites of old hotels, and what were the old hotels? Were the old hotels imploded to make way for the new ones?

Treyonne in North Richland Hills, Texas

Answer: Just about all of the existing hotels were built on the site of a former hotel, but let's stick with the big ones, starting on the south Strip and working north.

Mandalay Bay was built on the site of the former Hacienda, a hotel that opened in 1956 with a couple hundred rooms and a casino and grew to a major property in later years. It was imploded in 1996, and Mandalay Bay opened in 1999.

The existing MGM Grand hotel at Tropicana and the Strip opened in 1993 on the site of the former Marina Hotel and Casino. The bulk of the Marina was torn down, but the main hotel tower was saved, gutted and incorporated into the MGM Grand when it was built around it. It is the part of the hotel now known as the West Wing.

The Aladdin (soon to be Planet Hollywood) was built on the site of the Aladdin. Yes, the original Aladdin, opened in 1966 (itself a remodel of an existing motel), was imploded in 1998, and the new hotel opened in 2000.

Next door, Paris and Bally's (the original MGM Grand) were built on the land that was once home to the Bonanza, a rambling motel/casino with a western theme that opened in 1967.

Bellagio was built on the site of the famed Dunes, a hotel and casino that opened in 1955 and was imploded in 1994. Bellagio opened in 1998.

The Mirage and Treasure Island (opened in 1989 and 1993, respectively) replaced a casino/motel called the Castaways. No, it has no relation to the Castaways that is currently being torn down on the east side of town.

The Venetian, opened in 1999, replaced the legendary Sands Hotel and Casino. That hotel opened in 1952 and was imploded in 1996.

The new Wynn Las Vegas, opened just a couple of months ago, replaced another legendary hotel: the Desert Inn. The DI, home to Dan Tanna in "Vega$," opened in 1950 and closed in 2000. It was torn down and imploded during 2001 and 2002.

Many of the other existing hotels replaced smaller motels or casinos.

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