Stratosphere and Vegas World by acquiring shares in Stupak's Stratosphere Corporation. In September 1994, Stupak rehired 36 hotel maids who had been fired for wearing union buttons on their clothing during an ongoing dispute between Stupak and a local union. Stratosphere Corporation, a subsidiary of Grand Casinos, completed its purchase of Vegas World in November 1994, for approximately $51 million. As part of the deal, the company leased the property to Stupak until its closure. Vegas World closed on February 1, 1995, for remodeling in order to be integrated into the Stratosphere resort. A majority of Vegas World's final customers consisted of people redeeming their vacation packages. Vegas World's two hotel towers, consisting of 932 rooms, were renovated to become part of the Stratosphere resort, which opened in April 1996. Stupak later said that he felt prouder when he opened his earlier casinos on the site in 1974 and 1979. Theme and memorabilia Vegas World featured an extensive collection of space-themed memorabilia such as rocket sculptures, as well as a replica of the Apollo Lunar Module and a life-sized astronaut that both hung from the ceiling. The hotel featured a spaceport-themed check-in lobby, while other parts of the hotel featured mirrored walls and ceilings in a black interior that was accompanied by stars and plastic columns filled with bubbling, colored liquid. The hotel also featured what was claimed to be genuine moon rocks (approximately the size of rice grains), which Stupak somehow obtained from the Nicaraguan government. Vegas World was also known for having $1 million in cash on display in the casino. During the 1980s, artists Robert Barnett Newman (an original member of The Motels) and Paul Whitehead created various space-themed murals on Vegas World's two hotel towers, measuring 25 and 10 stories high. At the time, it set a record in The Guinness Book of Records for the world's largest mural. One of the murals featured an astronaut gambling in space. After its closure, much of Vegas World's space memorabilia wound up in a collection of various items owned by Lonnie Hammargren, a local collector and former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, who was also an aspiring astronaut. Anthony Curtis of the Las Vegas Advisor opined that Vegas World was "one of the most bizarre casinos in the city's history", and wrote that its buffet, The Moon Rock, was "infamous for being among the worst in town." Author Jeff