![]() The Claridge had the distinction of being the last of the pre-casino Atlantic City hotels to be refurbished into a casino. The hotel was expanded with 200 new guest rooms being built. In 1981 the Del Webb Corporation, owners of The Mint Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, bought the Claridge and turned it in to a casino. Despite Atlantic City’s downturn as a premiere vacation resort in the 1960s, the hotel continued to operate and survived into the casino era. Marilyn Monroe was a special guest there in the 1950s when she was grand marshal of the annual Miss America Pageant. The Claridge was a successful hotel during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Due to the hotel’s tall, slick, slender appearance it gained the nickname “The Skyscraper By The Sea.” Opened in 1930 during The Great Depression, the Claridge became the last of the great hotels built in Atlantic City near the Boardwalk no new resorts rose in the city until the 1960s when a Howard Johnsons hotel was built along the boardwalk. ![]() It was the idea of Philadelphia architect John McShain who designed the 24-story, 400-room hotel. The Claridge is different from most Atlantic City resorts, since it did not grow out of a modest boarding house.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |