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 gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, 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 Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American singer and actor, who 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 tribute to his Polish heritage. One ...

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop music, 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 ...

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. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1975 for her ...

and The Captain & Tennille.

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul. They were an important crossover music act of the 1960s and 1970s, although both praised and derided for their particular music ...

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, a conservatorship results from the appointment of a guardian or a protector by a judge to manage the personal or financial affairs of another person who is incapable of fully managing their own affairs due to age or physical or m ...

. 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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

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 Chemical Bank, headquartered in New York City, was the principal operating subsidiary of Chemical Banking Corporation, a bank holding company. In 1996, it acquired Chase Bank, adopted the Chase name, and became the largest bank in the United Stat ...

. 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 after investing $48 million in a renovation, and the property changed its name again to the Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. However, after only three years, the hotel and casino were closed permanently on October 3, 1999, and the building was demolished in 2000. The land was sold at auction to Bruce Toll of

Toll Brothers Toll Brothers, Inc. is an American homebuilding company that builds, markets, and finances 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 ho ...

References

;General * * {{Atlantic City casinos Hotel buildings completed in 1981 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 Businesses of Donald Trump that went bankrupt Defunct casino hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey