LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Shimmering through the Tiffany-stained glass dome of Caesar’s Palace, guests can see 125 years of history and one of the last few connections to the soon-to-be imploded Tropicana.
In 1979, The Tropicana Las Vegas agreed to pay $200,000 for a large, stained glass barrel dome, ceiling completed by the California-based company Judson Studios.
David Judson, president of Judson Studios , said he remembers when his father sold the Las Vegas casino’s leadership on the idea of a glass dome while he played video games nearby.
“I remember being at the Tropicana when my dad was talking to them and selling them the job,” Judson said. “It was probably the largest job my father had ever done at that time, and it was a really big deal. It was the largest stained glass barrel dome in the world.”
The family business is now being led by David who proudly introduced himself as a fifth-generation Judson. The studio, initially founded in Los Angeles in 1897, has left its striking stains in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, The Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the Caesars Palace.