A 34-storey casino in US' Atlanta city, once owned by former US President Donald Trump, was demolished and reduced to a dusty pile of rubble on Wednesday using controlled explosives. People reportedly paid up to Rs 40,000 to watch the Trump plaza implode and crash to the ground.
As the casino and hotel had been closed since 2014, the building started deteriorating with chunks of it falling off from it time to time, which is why a decision was taken to demolish it and pave way for a prime development opportunity.
It took less than 20 seconds to implode and collapse on the ground with giant cloud of dust enveloping the beach and Boardwalk soon after.
"I got chills. This is a historic moment. It was exciting," Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said.
He estimated the remaining pile of rubble is about eight stories tall, and would be removed by June 10. Some of it could be used by environmentalists interested in building an artificial fishing reef off the coast of Atlantic City.
Notably, the casino hotel was once a hotspot for some of the biggest Hollywood celebrities. It was opened in 1984 when Trump was a real estate developer before his politics days and was the most successful casino in the city. Mega-events such as Mike Tyson boxing match or a Rolling Stones concert was held next door in Boardwalk Hall.
"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 a US based news outlet.
In 2014 when it closed, Trump Plaza was the poorest-performing casino in Atlantic City as Donald Trump had opened the nearby Trump Taj Mahal in 1990 where he shipped all the high rollers to make it successful. Moreover, they didn't invest in much Plaza after that.
