Since 1989 the beacon atop the Nevada Landing tower in Jean has signaled to motorists speeding along that last downhill stretch from California that the trip’s almost over, and Las Vegas is only a few more miles away.

Sometime in April, it’s been announced, that welcoming beacon in the desert will be doused forever. MGM Mirage said it will close the 303-room hotel and 35,800 square-foot casino featuring 734 slot machines—some of them loose—in order to build affordable housing for casino employees plus a multiple-use retail development on a 166-acre site.

In the latest chapter of Las Vegas gaming re-inventing itself every few years, the two “river boats” on each side of the Nevada Landing wharf will be demolished.

As an exercise in make-believe, the Nevada Landing casino was a fancy place. Several huge crystal chandeliers illuminated the gaming area with its slots and 19 table games. The décor was that of a river boat casino from the 1860s to 1890s. There was a Chinese restaurant that operated only in evenings. This is written in the preterit because time passes so quickly. But there’s still a chance to say farewell to the fantasy riverboats “moored” 12 miles from the California-Nevada border and 25 miles south of Las Vegas, in what’s left of February plus the whole month of March. Collectors of casino memorabilia—who are legion in these parts—will descend like locusts in the final days on the riverboat casino.