Former President Donald Trump’s hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was demolished on Wednesday morning.
The former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino has been closed since 2014. The building, which was once a staple on the boardwalk, had deteriorated so badly in recent years that some pieces began to peel.
By 9h08, it had been destroyed, leaving behind a large pile of rubble and smoke.
Bernie Dillon, the former casino event manager, said the hotel used to be a hot spot for celebrities.
“The way we put Trump Plaza and the city of Atlantic City on the world map was really incredible. Everyone, from Hulk Hogan to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, was the full range of personalities, “he said.” The night before a Tyson fight, I stopped suddenly and looked at about four rows while the place was filling up and there were two guys approaching and having a private conversation: Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty. “
“It was really like that: you had Madonna and Sean Penn coming in, Barbra Streisand and Don Johnson, Muhammad Ali would be there, Oprah sitting next to Donald’s ring,” recalled Dillon. “It was a special moment. I’m sorry to see this go. “
Trump cut ties with the casino in 2009 after a series of bankruptcy filings, but his name continued to grace the building for a while, according to The New York Times. Billionaire investor Carl C. Icahn acquired it after bankruptcy in 2016, the newspaper reported.
The demolition has taken place less than a month since Joe Biden took office as president.
