Trump Plaza casino demolished in Atlantic City, marking end of era
Tina Davis, Sophie Alexander and Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg News The former Trump Plaza casino is imploded on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Atlantic City, N.J. , The Associated Press
Trump Plaza, the first casino Donald Trump ever built and a faded vestige of Atlantic Cityâs glamorous past, came crashing to earth Wednesday morning in a cloud of dirt, dust and noise.
Carefully placed explosives imploded the 39-story white tower on the Atlantic Ocean, which stood empty for years. City officials were keen to destroy it amid complaints that chunks of concrete were falling off the building. A few hundred people in cars paid US$10 to park at a former airfield less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away on a freezing, winter morning to watch the Plazaâs final destruction.
Trump Plaza implosion: Hundreds gather to watch piece of Atlantic City history come down
Updated Feb 17, 2021;
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In just a matter of seconds, 30 years of history along the Atlantic City boardwalk was reduced to a pile of rubble and a billowing cloud of dust during the implosion of the Trump Plaza.
There was a stillness in the air outside OneAtlantic, the pier overlooking the long-shuttered hotel, as the countdown began. Birds scattered as a rolling, thunderous boom overtook the air and the 39-story building crumbled to the ground, falling away like it was made of water.
Hundreds of people drove to Atlantic City on the blistery cold Wednesday morning for a spectacle the resort town hadn’t seen in 13 years.