The Claridge Hotel offers a fitness center, an indoor pool, a Las Vegas-style cabaret showroom and a ballroom facility. The VUE rooftop bar and lounge on the 23rd floor offers drink specials and happy hours. The Atlantic City boardwalk and beach are just 500 feet from this historic hotel. Boardwalk Hall is 2,800 feet away. The Claridge - A Radisson Hotel is a historic hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that opened in 1930. Beginning in 1981, Claridge's operated for many years as a casino, known first as 'Del Webb's Claridge Hotel and Casino', then as 'Claridge Hotel and Casino'. The hotel was acquired by Bally's on December 30, 2002, as a hotel tower of Bally's Atlantic City. In February 2014, the property was.
| The Claridge - A Radisson Hotel | |
|---|---|
| Former names | Del Webb’s Claridge Hotel and Casino Claridge Hotel and Casino |
| Alternative names | The Skyscraper By The Sea |
| General information | |
| Location | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Address | Park Place & The Boardwalk |
| Estimated completion | 1930 |
| Opening | December 1930 |
| Renovated | 1977, 2014 |
| Owner | TJM Properties |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 24 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 400 |
| Number of suites | 400 |
| Parking | 500 |
| Website | |
| http://www.claridge.com | |
Claridge Hotel and Casino | |
| Opening date | July 20, 1981 |
| Closing date | December 30, 2002 |
| Theme | London |
| Previous names | Del Webb’s Claridge Hotel and Casino |
| Coordinates | 39°21′27″N74°25′54″W / 39.3575°N 74.4318°WCoordinates: 39°21′27″N74°25′54″W / 39.3575°N 74.4318°W |
The Claridge - A Radisson Hotel is a historic hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that opened in 1930. Beginning in 1981, Claridge's operated for many years as a casino, known first as 'Del Webb's Claridge Hotel and Casino', then as 'Claridge Hotel and Casino'. The hotel was acquired by Bally's on December 30, 2002, as a hotel tower of Bally's Atlantic City. In February 2014, the property was acquired by TJM Properties of Clearwater, Florida, which returned the property to a stand-alone hotel without casino gambling.
Location[edit]
Located between Park Place and Indiana Avenue, with an attached parking structure extending to Ohio Avenue, the Claridge is set off the Boardwalk behind Brighton Park. The Claridge stands next to the site where the Sands Atlantic City used to be located.
History[edit]
The Claridge Hotel is different from most Atlantic City resorts, because it did not grow out of a modest boarding house. It was the idea of Philadelphia architect John McShain who designed the 24-story,[1][2] 400-room hotel. 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. Due to the Claridge's tall, slick, slender appearance it gained the nickname “The Skyscraper By The Sea'.
The Claridge was a successful hotel during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Marilyn Monroe was a special guest there in the 1950s when she was a judge of the annual Miss America Pageant. Despite Atlantic City's downturn as a premier vacation resort in the 1960s, the hotel continued to operate and survived into the casino era.
Casino era[edit]
In February 1977, Claridge Associates, a group of Connecticut investors led by F. Francis D'Addario, purchased the Claridge Hotel. In 1979, they took on Del E. Webb Corporation as a partner in order to obtain financing.[3] Del Webb owned several Nevada casinos, including The Mint Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. The Claridge hotel was expanded with 200 new guest rooms being built; it had the distinction of being the last of the pre-casino Atlantic City hotels to be refurbished into a casino. The New Jersey Governor at the time, Brendan Byrne, had been dissatisfied with what he called “Patch and Paint” jobs of the city's old resorts, which had been done with Resorts Atlantic City and the Dennis Hotel, which is part of Bally's Atlantic City, and he lobbied hard for the old structures to be torn down and replaced with new resorts.
Del Webb faced a difficult time obtaining a permanent license but finally obtained one in 1982. At that time, Del Webb bought out Claridge Associates' interest in the partnership.
In July 1981, the new casino opened under the name Del Webb's Claridge Hotel and Casino (the hotel eventually became known as Del Webb's Claridge and eventually just The Claridge). The London-themed hotel saw success early on with its multi-level casino and 600-seat showroom that featured names like Aretha Franklin, Donny & Marie, Billy Crystal, Penn & Teller, Joan Rivers, The Isley Brothers, and The 5th Dimension. As larger casinos were built in the city, the Claridge had a hard time competing as a small casino in a large market. In the 1990s, a parking garage was added.
In 2001, Park Place Entertainment purchased[4] the property and a year later formally announced plans to merge operations with Bally's Atlantic City. As a result, the Claridge became a hotel tower for Bally's. In 2009, all of the Claridge's own restaurants ceased operation, but a small cafe, 'The Corner Cafe', that continues to operate in the Gateway area that connects the Claridge Tower with Bally's.
In 2009, the Claridge rebranded its casino floor theRIDGE, and modeled the floor after a dance club, with a dance floor and DJ at its center, surrounded by table games. An extensive restoration was completed during the summer of 2010 through spring 2011, including a $3 million renovation of all hotel rooms and a $17 million facelift of the outside structure. But this was not enough to save its gambling business in the wake of a catastrophic period for Atlantic City's casinos, several of which filed for bankruptcy or closed altogether. theRIDGE ended its gambling and food operations during the winter of 2012; however, Bally's continued to use its 500 hotel rooms for guests.
Current status[edit]
On October 29, 2013, Caesars Entertainment announced that the Claridge tower was sold to TJM Properties of Clearwater, Florida. According to the statement, TJM will continue to operate the hotel and add non-gaming amenities to the property.[5][6] On February 24, 2014, TJM Properties officially took ownership of the Claridge.[7] The Claridge Hotel reopened in May 2014.[8] The Claridge joined Radisson Hotels on October 17, 2016.[9]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Claridge Atlantic City'. Emporis. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
- ^'Claridge Hotel'. Skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
- ^'Claridge Limited, In the Matter of the Application for a Casino License Cite As 10 N.J.A.R. 563'. njlegallib.rutgers.edu.
- ^http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/management/5934709-1.html
- ^'Fla. firm buys Claridge Hotel from Bally's in Atlantic City'. NJ.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^'Bally's Atlantic City Announces Purchase of Historic Claridge Hotel Tower By Florida-Based Hotel Operator TJM Properties, Inc'. Caesars Entertainment. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- ^'Wayne Parry, Associated Press via philly.com, February 25, 2014'.
- ^http://www.claridge.com/press/announcing-summer-grand-opening-new-claridge-hotel/
- ^'Atlantic City's Landmark Claridge Hotel Joins The Expanding Radisson Brand'. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. October 27, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
External links[edit]
| Preceded by Haddon Hall Hotel | Tallest Building in Atlantic City 1930—1989 370 ft | Succeeded by Bally's Atlantic City |
The Claridge Hotel and Brighton Park hold a rich and significant place in American history. The property is centrally situated on arguably the most desirable plot of land in Atlantic City. In the late 1700’s the founder of Atlantic City, Jeremiah Leeds, built his family settlement on this plot of land.
Atlantic City remained basically farmland owned by the Leeds’ family until Dr. Pitney moved his medical practice to the island in the early 1800’s. Renowned for its healing properties, Atlantic City enjoyed an explosion in popularity over the next hundred years. By the early 1900’s two railroads were bringing visitors to the famed city by the sea. The northern track dropped passengers off at Tennessee Avenue and the southern track brought its passengers to Arkansas Avenue. Between these stations the original hotels formed the much-desired strand, which gave Atlantic City is reputation as the “playground of the gilded age”.
The most famous and by far grandest of Atlantic City’s illustrious hotels was the Claridge Hotel. The 24-story hotel opened in 1930, during the great depression. General Electric provided the Fountain of Light that was in the center of Brighton Park, in front of the Claridge, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison. In the Boardwalk Empire era the Claridge was known as the “Skyscraper By the Sea” because of the Manhattanesque design. At 370 feet tall, the Claridge was the tallest building in New Jersey, earning it the nickname, “Skyscraper by the sea”. It was also the first and only hotel to have running hot and cold, fresh and salt water, as salt water was believed to have health-giving properties.
The famous Philadelphia builder, John McShain, built the Claridge and spared no expense in doing so. Although based in Philadelphia, McShain had a strong presence in Washington, DC. He would go on to build the Pentagon, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park (NewYork), and the renovation of the White House.
During the early 1940’s Atlantic City turned many of its hotels over to the United States government to aid in the efforts of World War II. In order to serve this country, the Claridge housed The United State’s Air Force.
The military occupation of Atlantic City came to an end towards the close of 1943 and in November of this year, the attention of the Free World was on Atlantic City and the Claridge Hotel. As the most elegant hotel in Atlantic City, the Claridge was chosen to host delegates from 44 nations who were gathering to hold what may have been the most important international conference of the time, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration World Conference. The purpose of this conference was to “shorten the war and save the peace”. At this conference, three of the most important participants against the Axis Powers signed a pact: for Russia the Soviet Ambassador Andrei A. Gromyko, for Great Britain the British Ambassador Lord Halifax, and for the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt were all in agreement.
At the close of this conference during the final plenary meeting of the UNRRA, held on December 1, 1943, the representative from Poland stated, “I am sure of voicing the opinion of all my colleagues in this council meeting when I say that we shall bring away with us from Atlantic City a feeling of warm gratitude and appreciation to His Honor the Mayor, the Commissioners, the so friendly citizens of this bracing ocean resort, and the management and staff of the Hotel Claridge… WHEREAS, the Council is appreciative of the attractive surroundings in which it has met and of the gracious hospitality extended to its members and their staffs.”
Claridge Casino Atlantic City Closed
Affable service in elegant settings has continued to draw visitors to this Manhattenesque hotel for many years to come. The glamorous Marilyn Monroe stayed at the Claridge during the fifties when she was grand marshal of the annual Miss America Pageant. Other famous guests included Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Princess Grace of Monaco, Al Capone, and Nucky Johnson.
Claridge Casino In Atlantic City
Close to eight decades and many owners later, service remains central to the new management’s core values. As of February of 2014, TJM Atlantic City has taken the reigns as the newest owners of this historic hotel. TJM Atlantic City’s vision for the future of “The New Claridge” will be a dedication to preserving the glamour, charm and rich history of this landmark while adding new and exciting amenities for guests. A complete renovation project is scheduled to restore the original elegance and flare of the property – the very same charm that once attracted the likes of international dignitaries, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Grace and many others.