A 34-storey casino where celebrities including Hulk Hogan and Keith Richards hung out and was formerly owned by Donald Trump was demolished on Wednesday in Atlantic City as people paid nearly Rs 90,000 to watch the flattening.
The demolition which was done using 3,000 sticks of dynamite reduced the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino to a pile of rubble in a few seconds.
The building after its closure since 2014 had deteriorated so much that chunks were falling off. In the same year of the closure, Trump had filed a lawsuit urging his name to be removed from the two-building complex, insisting that Trump’s name on it harms the former president’s brand.
The casino and the hotel were once the crown jewel of Donald Trump’s Atlantic city empire and a hotspot for some of the biggest Hollywood celebrities.
“The way we put Trump Plaza and the city of Atlantic City on the map for the whole world was really incredible. Everyone from Hulk Hogan to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was the whole gamut of personalities,” Bernie Dillon, events manager at the casino from 1984 to 1991, told Huffington Post.
Following the destruction, many commented on social media saying it was the end of a 74-year-old reign in the city.
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Although, the event was promoted on the internet and on various social media platforms, however, many Trump detractors even paid money for ‘front row’ seats to watch the demolition of the casino.
According to reports, the seats were actioned to the highest bidders with proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City. A spectator even paid $575 (Rs 90,000) to watch the implosion from a nearby pier.
