Ex-Trump casino in Atlantic City to be imploded next month
Remains of the name "TRUMP PLAZA" faces the oceanfront entrance of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - A former Atlantic City casino built by former President Trump will be imploded on Feb. 17, and city officials announced a new auction connected to it to raise money for a youth charity.
Mayor Marty Small on Thursday announced the new date for the destruction of the former Trump Plaza casino, which had been pushed back due to the discovery of an unexpected concrete fixture and a dispute with the building owner, billionaire investor Carl Icahn.
The city originally planned to auction off the right to press the button that would have imploded Trump Plaza on Jan. 29.
But Icahn objected to that plan on safety grounds, saying a member of the public chosen to trigger the detonation could be injured by flying debris, as could any spectators nearby.
He sent a cease-and-desist order to the auction house that was soliciting the bids, which canceled the auction.
But Icahn said he will replace the $175,000 in bids that had already been made that would have gone to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City.
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On Thursday, Small announced a new fundraising campaign related to the implosion. The Hard Rock and Ocean casinos will donate 10 hotel rooms for winners, as will One Atlantic, an events space with a prime view of Trump Plaza, where 10 winners will be able to view the 9 a.m. implosion from behind glass a safe distance away.
Fire Chief Scott Evans said several blocks will be cordoned off before the implosion, and some areas will need to be evacuated or designated as places where residents need to remain indoors during the demolition.
Trump Plaza opened in 1984, and was the site of numerous high-profile boxing matches that Trump, then a real estate developer, attended.
It shut down in 2014 and has fallen into disrepair, necessitating its demolition.