Trump Plaza in Atlantic City to be blown up next month, auction planned for seats to view demolition
Now that Donald Trump has left office, his tattered Atlantic City Trump Plaza and Casino will be blown up. What's more? People can actually bid to view the February 17 demolition of the venue featured in the film 'Casino' from nearby hotel rooms.
News of this detonation comes after the establishment fell into a crumbling state of despair, as it's been closed since 2014, after 30 strong years of business. Trump's ties with the hotel date back to about a decade ago, when he cut ties in 2009. Current owner Carl Icahn is blowing up the complex to prevent falling debris. The demolition work on the structure began last year, and the rest of the complex was initially scheduled to be detonated next week. However, recent disagreements between Icahn and the city officials over safety requirements have pushed back the implosion by nearly three weeks.
Atlantic City officials had also initially planned to auction off the chance to press the button on the detonator that will tear the building down. Mayor Marty Small believed anti-Trump supporters would pay up to $1 million to do the honors. "Some of Atlantic City's iconic moments happened there, but on his way out, Donald Trump openly mocked Atlantic City, saying he made a lot of money and then got out," Small said last month. "I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.
The money from the auction for pressing the detonator button was intended to go to Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, which provides after-school and summer recreation, education, and career-training programs for children in the area. The fundraising plans were soon quashed after Icahn sent a cease and desist order against the idea. The New York Daily News reports he cited safety reasons, worried people might be harmed should it become a fundraising event.
As of now, no members of the public will be allowed to get close to the building on the day of the demolition. They can however bid for 10 seats in the nearby Hard Rock and Ocean casinos to witness the event from the safety of their suites. "The bottom line is, the building is coming down," Mayor Small stated. "It's going to come down in a safe and secure manner... and we're looking forward to rebuild."
Trump had opened the casino back in 1984, and since then it has been the site of several high-profile boxing matches that would regularly see Trump in attendance. During its prime, the place bragged of 614 rooms, seven restaurants, a health club, a 750-seat showroom, and a 60,000 square foot casino. Japanese Highroller Akio Kashiwagi lost $10 million in the casino in a notorious 1990 baccarat session. The event was reenacted in Martin Scorsese's 1995 movie, 'Casino'. Shortly after Trump cut ties in 2009, the casino closed within five years, marking one of the four Atlantic City casinos that shut down in 2014.