Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza was a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

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, then changed its name in 1984 to Atlantis Hotel and Casino.

History

Playboy: 1981-84

The hotel/casino project was initiated by

Playboy Enterprises PLBY Group, Inc. is an American global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Hefner as Playboy Enterprises, Inc. to oversee the ''Playboy'' magazine and related assets. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. The company is focus ...

, 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 The Casino Control Commission is a New Jersey state governmental agency that was founded in 1977 as the state's Gaming Control Board, responsible under the Casino Control Act for licensing casinos in Atlantic City. The commission also issues lic ...

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.

Atlantis: 1984-89

The 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 Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and ...

Lola Falana Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana (born September 11, 1942), better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Early life Lola Falana was born in Camden, New Jersey. She was the third of si ...

and The Captain & Tennille.

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

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, and then placed the Atlantis into

conservatorship Under U.S. law, conservatorship is the appointment of a guardian or a protector by a judge to manage the financial affairs and/or daily life of another person due to old age or physical or mental limitations. A person under conservatorship is a ...

. The casino closed on May 22, 1989, though the hotel continued to operate.

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

purchased the Atlantis in June 1989 for $63 million, and renamed it as the Trump Regency.

Trump Regency: 1989-96

In July 1992, ownership was transferred to the property's mortgage holder, Chemical Bank. Trump bought back the Regency for $60 million in June 1995.

Trump's World Fair: 1996-99

On May 15, 1996, Trump reopened the casino and the property changed its name again to the Trump World's Fair at

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino Trump Plaza was a hotel and casino on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts. Designed by architect Alan Lapidus, it operated from May 15, 1984 until September 16, 2014. History The beginning The ...

. The land was sold at auction to Bruce Toll of

Toll Brothers Toll Brothers is a company which designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges financing for residential and commercial properties in the United States. In 2020, the company was the fifth largest home builder in the United States, based on home ...

References

;General * * {{Atlantic City casinos Hotel buildings completed in 1981 Defunct casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey Skyscraper hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey Demolished hotels in New Jersey Buildings and structures demolished in 2000 1981 establishments in New Jersey 1999 disestablishments in New Jersey Casino hotels