Trump Plaza implosion - 19 things to know

Here are some facts about the casino:

News 12 Staff

Feb 17, 2021, 7:41 PM

Updated 1,332 days ago

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Trump Plaza implosion - 19 things to know
Here are some facts about the casino:
• The property opened as Harrah's at Trump Plaza on May 14, 1984.
•  It closed for good Sept. 16, 2014, one of four casinos in Atlantic City to close that year.
• Donald Trump himself was no longer an owner at the time of its closure.
• Billionaire Carl Icahn assumed ownership of Trump’s former casino company from bankruptcy court in 2016.
• The 10.5-acre property where the Plaza sits is owned by Icahn.
• The property sits at the center of the Atlantic City Boardwalk, at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway. 
• Once cleanup is complete, city officials hope the property can be sold or leased and then developed.
• City officials hope another casino won’t be built, and are pushing for more family entertainment.
• Demolition was supposed to take place in January, but a series of delays pushed the event to Feb. 17.
• Bids reached as high as $175,000 to push the detonation button, but the auction was cancelled following a lawsuit.
• The Trump Plaza was one of three casinos in Atlantic City with the Trump name.
• During its heyday, the Plaza hosted Mike Tyson fights and WrestleMania IV and V.
• The former casino once housed over 80 table games and 2,000 slot machines.
• Mayor Marty Small says demolition has nothing to do with politics, as the building has been closed since 2014.
• Donald Trump lost a legal battle in effort to build a parking area over a home of a widowed mother of 5.
• The Plaza sits at Boardwalk and Mississippi Avenue.
• The Plaza stands at 321 feet tall, with 32 floors overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
• The last game ever played in the casino was a game of Blackjack on September 26, 2014.
• The East Tower opened in two phases, in October 1995 and February 1996. The expansion continued with the May 1996 opening of Trump World's Fair. The renovation cost is $48 million.