The general contractor selected to build the resort was Taylor Construction Co. France & Son with J Maher Weller of Las Vegas serving as associate architect.

The resort was designed by Miami architects Roy F. The Riviera opened on April 20, 1955, as the first high-rise at 9 stories, and the ninth resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Marx Brothers Harpo and Gummo held minority interests at the opening. By March 1955, Cohen, identified as a member of Miami's S & G gambling syndicate, was no longer part of the investment group, though rumors persisted that he secretly maintained an involvement. Bischoff later withdrew from the project, which was taken over by Miami businessman Samuel Cohen. The casino was first proposed by Detroit mobster William Bischoff as the Casa Blanca, and received a gaming license in 1952. The hotel had more than 2,100 rooms, fewer than half of which were located in a 23-story tower.

It was last owned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which decided to demolish it to make way for the Las Vegas Global Business District. Riviera (colloquially, ' the Riv') was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada, which operated from April 1955 to May 2015. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

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