President Trump left the White House relatively quietly on Wednesday after his four-year term as president came to an end, but a crumbling casino once owned by the former commander-in-chief will go out with much more of a bang when it is demolished next month.
Officials have announced that the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey will be detonated on February 17.
The establishment closed to the public in 2014 after 30 years in business and has since fallen into a state of disrepair.
Trump cut ties with the hotel and casino back in 2009, and current owner Carl Icahn is demolishing the complex to prevent falling debris.
Demolition work began on the structure last year, and the rest of the complex was initially set to be blown up next Friday.
However, the implosion has now been pushed back by nearly three weeks following disagreements between Icahn and city officials over safety requirements.
Officials have announced that the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey will be detonated on February 17. The complex is pictured back in heyday
This photo, taken last October, shows the partially demolished Trump Plaza casino. The remainder of the structure will be blown up on February 17
The Plaza is seen in 2014, around the time it closed to the public. Current owner Carl Icahn is demolishing the complex to prevent falling debris
The Plaza was the site of many high-profile boxing matches, which Trump would regularly attend. He is pictured there in 1986 with boxing promoter Don King, to the immediate right of Trump, Mike Tyson (far right) and another unidentified boxer
A woman plays the slot machines at Trump Plaza casino in 2014
Atlantic City officials initially planned to auction off the chance to press the detonator button that will bring the buildings down.
Mayor Marty Small believed it would be possible that an anti-Trump person would pay up to $1 million for the honor.
‘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 stated last month.
‘I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.’
Trump’s alleged mistress, Stormy Daniels, even tweeted that she wanted to blow up the casino.
‘I really want to do it… and we all know I’m good at pressing buttons,’ she tweeted last month.
The Plaza is located on the boardwalk at Atlantic City
The boardwalk view of the Trump Plaza Casino and Hotel is pictured back in 2007
The interior of the 60,000 square foot casino is pictured before it was shut down
Trump and first wife Ivana are pictured with boxing promoter Don King at the Tyson vs Spinks weigh in at the Plaza in 1988
Don King, LeRoy Neiman, Jesse Jackson, Ivana Trump, Donald Trump and John H. Johnson attend Tyson vs. Spinks Boxing match on June 27, 1988
Trump and his father, Fred, standing, and his young son, Don Jr, seated, are pictured at the Plaza in the 1980s
The money was intended to go to Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City – and organization that provides after-school and summer recreation, education and career-training programs for children in the area.
However, the fundraising plans were thrown out when Icahn sent a cease-and-desist order against the auction.
According to the New York Daily News, he cited safety concerns, and was worried whether people could be injured during the demolition fundraiser.
Now, no members of the public will be able to get close to the imploding buildings when the button is pushed on February 17.
People walk on the boardwalk near the Trump Plaza Casino September 2014 in Atlantic City
A worker applies caulk to holes in the facade of the former Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City N.J. after letters spelling out the casino’s name were removed in October 2014
A man removes a poster of U.S. president Donald Trump at the shuttered Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino on October 18, 2019 in Atlantic City
This October 2020 photo shows the partially demolished Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City
In 1990, Japanese high roller Akio Kashiwagi lost $10 million in a notorious baccarat session at the casino
Instead, people can now bid for 10 seats at the nearby Hard Rock and Ocean casinos, where they can watch the detonation from the safety of their suites.
‘The bottom line is, the building is coming down,’ Mayor Small stated on Thursday.
‘It’s going to come down in a safe and secure manner… and we’re looking forward to rebuild.
Trump opened the casino, located in the center of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk, back in 1984.
It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches, which Trump would regularly attend.
The complex had 614 rooms, seven restaurants, a health club, a 750-seat showroom and a 60,000 square foot casino.
In 1990, Japanese high roller Akio Kashiwagi lost $10 million in a notorious baccarat session at the casino. The event was later fictionalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 movie, Casino.
Trump cut ties with the casino back in 2009 and it closed five years later.
It was one of four Atlantic City casinos to shut down in 2014, followed by another former Trump casino, the Taj Mahal, in 2016. That property has since reopened as the Hard Rock casino.
Kashiwagi’s $10 million loss was later fictionalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 movie, Casino (pictured)
Source: Daily Mail US
