Atlantic City, NJ - April 1st, 2008Steel Pier Amusements given two-year stay, signed through through summer 2009!
Mike Holovacs, the AC Mole, is a concierge at one of the larger casino properties in town. His hobbies include photography, golf, writing and traveling. Feel free to post comments!
The rumors of the end of world famous Steel Pier’s life as we know it were greatly exaggerated: the pier’s current iteration has been extended thru the summer of 2009. The two-year reprieve came after a slew of articles in the winter of 2007 celebrating what was then a one-year extension. Those articles made numerous references to 2007 being the pier’s swan song, and citing the redevelopment that pier owner Donald Trump has in mind. Said redevelopment was covered in an earlier Mole post, and has been publicly said to be a hotel/condo/retail complex. It’s totally safe to assume that the Pier’s life extension is probably a combined result of the Trump machine running into a one-two punch of regulatory issues and the notoriously horrible credit market of recent times. Despite those problems, design work is still thought to be under way. It’ll be a sad day indeed when Steel Pier is forced to cease operations, as the Catanoso family and a supporting cast of hundreds over the years have done wonders and performed miracles to keep family entertainment available in a decidedly over-21 market. In the Mole’s (and likely many others) humble opinion, the loss of Steel Pier, whenever it does regrettably come to pass, can not be categorized as “in the name of progress”. One would hope that some prominent place in whatever Trump ends up building on the site gets a hefty helping of the Steel Pier historical treatment: a photo gallery, several plaques, artifacts under glass, etc. Steel Pier is an icon. Icons should endure, even if not in their completely original form.
The Steel Pier Atlantic City was originally made famous from it's Diving Horse show in the 1970's along with being a first class amusement and concert venue for major stars! Currently the Steel Pier Features a Rocket Ride, Ferris Wheel, Helicopter Tour of Atlantic City and many games and rides for kids of all ages!
Mike Holovacs, the AC Mole, is a concierge at one of the larger casino properties in town. His hobbies include photography, golf, writing and traveling. Feel free to post comments!
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