Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza was a hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that occupied 280 feet (85.3 m) of the Atlantic City boardwalk and was 21 floors in height. It had 500 guest rooms. It opened on April 14, 1981, as the Playboy Hotel and Casino,[1] then changed its name in 1984 to Atlantis Hotel and Casino.[2]
| Trump World's Fair | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) As the Atlantis Hotel and Casino, circa 1987 | |
| Address | Florida Avenue & Boardwalk Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401 |
| Opening date | April 14, 1981 |
| Closing date | October 3, 1999 |
| Theme | New York City and World's fair |
| No. of rooms | 500 |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts |
| Previous names | Playboy Hotel and Casino(1981-1984) Atlantis Hotel and Casino (1984–1989) Trump Regency (1989–1996) |
| Renovated in | 1996 |
History
editPlayboy: 1981–84
editThe hotel/casino project was initiated by Playboy Enterprises, which later took on Elsinore Corporation (owner of the Four Queens Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas) as a partner in order to obtain financing. The hotel/casino originally opened with a provisional gaming license, but the licensing process was slow due to questions about the suitability of both partners. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission finally granted a permanent gaming license to Elsinore Corporation, but not to Playboy Enterprises (due to concerns about the company's London casino operations, as well as payments made by the company to New York officials in the early 1960s in order to get a liquor license for its New York Playboy Club). Playboy agreed to sell its share of the hotel/casino to Elsinore and the property's name was changed. Boxing matches were held at the casino.[3]
Atlantis: 1984–89
editThe complex was split into two sections divided by Florida Avenue. The main building housed the multi-level casino, 500-room hotel tower and restaurants. The other building, accessible by a skybridge from the second floor, housed the 800-seat Cabaret and shops. The Cabaret featured acts such as Bobby Vinton, David Copperfield, Vic Damone, Lola Falana and The Captain & Tennille. The 5th Dimension was the last act to perform in the Cabaret, finishing out its engagement after gaming operations had ceased on the casino floor.
In 1985, the casino filed for bankruptcy and then continued to struggle financially. In April 1989, the state rejected renewal of its gaming license,[4] and then placed the Atlantis into conservatorship.[5] The casino closed on May 22, 1989, though the hotel continued to operate.[6] Donald Trump purchased the Atlantis in June 1989 for $63 million,[7] and renamed it as the Trump Regency.[8]
Trump Regency: 1989–96
editIn July 1992, ownership was transferred to the property's mortgage holder, Chemical Bank.[9] Trump bought back the Regency for $60 million in June 1995.[10]
Trump's World Fair: 1996–99
editOn May 15, 1996, Trump reopened the casino after investing $48 million in a renovation, and the property changed its name again to the Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. However, after only three years, the hotel and casino were closed permanently on October 3, 1999, and the building was demolished in 2000.[11] The land was sold at auction to Bruce Toll of Toll Brothers.[12]
References
edit- ^ "THE REGION; Atlantic City Casino Opened by Playboy", The New York Times, April 15, 1981.
- ^ "The Playboy Casino Is Now The Atlantis", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 1984.
- ^ "Boxing is making a comeback in Atlantic City". pressofatlanticcity.com. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
- ^ David Johnston (April 8, 1989). "Atlantis loses bid for new license". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
- ^ Daniel Heneghan (April 14, 1989). "Attorney appointed as conservator for Atlantis". The Press of Atlantic City. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ "Atlantis closes casino with little fanfare". UPI NewsTrack. May 22, 1989. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ "Trump deal for Atlantis is completed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 30, 1989. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ Daniel Heneghan (July 8, 1989). "Atlantis renamed Trump Regency". The Press of Atlantic City. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ Iris Taylor (November 15, 1992). "Betting on non-casino hotels". The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ Daniel Heneghan (June 14, 1995). "Trump buys back Regency, now for a casino". The Press of Atlantic City. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ Curran, John (2000-05-02). "In A.C., Trump World's Fair still in trouble, even after closing - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ David Schwartz (November 22, 2006). "Bunny on the Boardwalk". Casino Connection. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011.
- General
- "New Trump Spectacular in Atlantic City" (Press release). Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts. July 9, 1999. Archived from the original on February 9, 2001.
- "Donald Trump on losing end in land auction". NBC News. September 13, 2005.