Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City
The Ritz Condominiums | |
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Thompson-Starrett Company | |
References | |
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The Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City, located at 199 S. Iowa Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, began as a hotel on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, built at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties and renowned for its luxurious decor and famous guests. It was used as an apartment hotel beginning in 1969, and then purchased in 1978 with the intention of developing it as a hotel and casino. The building was converted to The Ritz Condominiums in 1982.
History
Construction and design
The
At the building's dedication, hotel president Richard Harris stated "We are out to do business with the average American citizen without regard to race, religion or politics". But the Ritz-Carlton soon became a haunt for the well-off, the hotel exuding wealth and status. Many features were state-of-the-art or unique among hotels at the time. They included fresh- and salt-water faucets for both hot and cold water in each room, an on-site artesian well for spring water, pantries on each landing to speed room service, and elevators with walls of rubber and floors of cork so that bathers could bypass the lobby.[3]
The hotel's restaurants were the Ritz, the Trellis Room, and the Ritz Grill, an outdoor dining terrace overlooking the ocean, and a
Barracks, Sheraton, planned casino, conversion
During the Depression in 1937 the owners defaulted on the mortgage and the Ritz-Carlton was reorganized under bankruptcy. The hotel was one of many in the city to be used as military barracks for soldiers in training and recuperation during World War II.
After the war, the Ritz-Carlton reopened and was bought by J. Myer Schine in 1946 for $2.25 million.
The Ritz-Carlton was converted to an apartment hotel in June 1969.[3] In 1978, an investor group purchased the building intending to convert it to a hotel and casino. However, unfavorable publicity linking it to the Abscam investigation ended that plan.[8] Senator Harrison A. Williams (D-N.J.) told an undercover FBI agent that he could help save the investors $30 million by allowing them to renovate the existing property, rather than building a new one. Williams' wife was a paid consultant and shareholder in Hardwicke Companies, the majority investor in the project, and Williams expected to receive a $1 million finder's fee for helping arrange financing for the project. Williams was later convicted on unrelated charges.[9][10]
In 1982, approximately $25 million was spent converting it to 322 residences and six commercial suites,
Nucky Thompson and the Boardwalk Empire
In the
Historic status
In February 2011, New Jersey's State Historic Preservation Office awarded the building a certificate of eligibility, qualifying for listing on the state and federal registers of historic places.[18]
Notable events, guests and performers
In January 1922, President
Renowned guests included performers
Among the celebrities who performed at the hotel during its heyday were Paul Whiteman, Bing Crosby, Red Nichols, and Milton Berle.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "The Ritz - Carlton Hotel - Atlantic City" (PDF). Historical Timeline. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ "Hotel Chain here for Ritz-Carlton Co." (PDF), The New York Times, May 20, 1911, retrieved 2011-06-26
- ^ a b c d e f g "Living at the Ritz". Atlantic City Experience. Atlantic City Public Library. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ "Atlantic City Plan to Cost $20,000,000" (PDF), The New York Times, September 26, 1919, retrieved 26 June 2011
- ^ "Ritz Carlton". Emporis. 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-23.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Billboard". 1952-07-12.
- ^ "Bristol Daily Courier Archives, Feb 18, 1959, p. 24". 18 February 1959.
- ^ Tale Of Atlantic City Hotel That Tried To Be A Casino By Donald Janson, Special to the New York Times May 31, 1981 [1]
- ^ Williams faces ethics inquiry New York Times News Service February 8, 1980 [2]
- ^ 705 F.2d 603 United States v. A Williams
- ^ a b Waltzer, Jim (November 10, 2010), "The Ritz: Where Nucky Lay His Head: Once a happening hotel, the Ritz Condominium has restored its vintage look, if not its wild ways. Tours of Nucky Johnson's one-time home are now being offered as Boardwalk Empire mania continues to sweep the city.", Atlantic City Weekly, retrieved 2011-06-26
- ^ Janson, Donald (August 28, 1983), "Atlantic Condominiums Bought for Fun and Profit", The New York Times, retrieved 2011-06-23
- ^ http://www.ritzac.com/Ritz%20History%20Time%20Line.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ McGrath, Charles (September 3, 2010), "On the Boardwalk, HBO Hangs Out With a New Mob", The New York Times, retrieved 2011-06-25
- ^ Waltzer, Jim (September 20, 2010). "Nucky at the Ritz: The Roaring '20s, bootlegged liquor and a one-time Atlantic City party central". Atlantic City Weekly. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ "Atlantic City Early Hotels". Monopoly City.com. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
- ^ ”Enoch L. Johnson, Ex-Boss in Jersey – Prohibition-Era Ruler of Atlantic City, 85, Dies", The New York Times, December 10, 1968, p. 47.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Atlantic County" (PDF). NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office. September 6, 2011. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2012. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
- ^ "Hotel To Install Radio" (PDF), The New York Times, January 22, 1922, retrieved 26 June 2011
- ^ "Plan Air Service to Atlantic City Ritz-Carlton to Give Passengers Choice of Land or Water Routes Regular daily air service between the Ritz-Carlton Hotels in New York and Atlantic City will be inaugurated in a few days" (PDF), The New York Times, March 1, 1922, retrieved 2011-06-25