Steel Pier

The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long (300 m) amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Built in 1897 and opened in 1898, it was one of the most popular venues in the United States for the first seven decades of the twentieth century, featuring concerts, exhibits, and an amusement park. It billed itself as the Showplace of the Nation and at its peak measured 2,298 feet (700 m).

The pier is owned by the Catanoso Family and operates under the Steel Pier Associates, LLC name. The Catanosos had previously leased the pier to operate the amusement park before they purchased it.^[1] The Steel Pier continues to operate as an amusement pier and is one of the most successful family-oriented attractions in the city. The pier has twenty-four rides, a helicopter station, an arcade, food stands, and more. The pier had also been connected to the former Trump Taj Mahal through an overhead walking bridge.

History

The pier was built by the Steel Pier Company and opened on June 18, 1898. It was built on iron pilings, using a concrete understructure with steel girders. In 1904, a storm washed away part of Steel Pier,^{[clarification needed]} and many engineers stated that it could not be rebuilt. Atlantic City's future mayor, Edward L. Bader, and his company accepted the challenge to rebuild it. His success with that job led to more work for him in Atlantic City.^[2]

In 1924, a fire caused significant damage to the pier. Frank Gravatt purchased the pier the following year and renovated it. He was called the "salt water

By the end of the 1960s, the pier was feeling the effects of declining tourism in Atlantic City. The pier was sold to a group of local businessmen in 1973. After gambling was legalized, a developer proposed turning the pier into a hotel-casino. However, the necessary governmental approvals could not be obtained, and the pier was sold to Resorts International in 1978, which mainly used the pier for storage. The original wooden pier with steel underpinnings was destroyed in a 1982 fire; the current concrete structure dates from 1993. Trump Entertainment acquired ownership of the pier when it acquired the Trump Taj Mahal in the late 1980s. The Trump Steel Pier opened in 1992, but had been reduced to about 1,000 ft (300 m) and featured mainly amusement rides. The Steel Pier continues to operate as an amusement park to this day. When Trump acquired the steel pier, he connected it to his main casino and built a hub for tram car rides.

In June 2008, the Steel Pier celebrated its 110th anniversary, having originally opened on Saturday, June 18, 1898. All rides were free that day from midnight on June 18 to midnight on June 19.^[6]

In February 2012, it was announced that a diving horse act would return to the Steel Pier as part of the recently approved Tourism Master Plan,^[7] but the plan was soon scrapped after public outcry.^[8]

In 2017, a newer and bigger giant Ferris wheel was added to the pier. LEDs were also added to the new ferris wheel, and the ferris wheel shines from 4:30 to midnight every day.

Tickets

Tickets for the Steel Pier cost $2.00 each. A book of 50 tickets with coupons is $65.00, amounting to a $35 discount. A book of 80 tickets with coupons is available as well for $85.00, amounting to $75 in savings. There are also special days of the weeks with deals associated with them, such as Two Ticket Thursdays and Two Ticket Tuesdays, which will begin on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 and Thursday, June 20th 2024. There will also be Family Fun Fridays, starting on Friday, June 21, 2024, where families can purchase a $45 unlimited ride wristband. A 10% military discount can also be received.

Rides

The entire Steel Pier complex contains twenty-four rides.^[9]

Light rides (designed for kids 0-13)

Medium rides (designed for kids 9-17)

Heavy rides (designed for kids 10-18)

Special rides (special pricing)

In popular culture

In films

• diving horses
  .
• Three Stooges
  , partly filmed on the Steel Pier.
• Three Stooges at Steel Pier (1938) - mini-short in rare color of the Three Stooges.^[10]
• The Burglar (1957) - featuring Jayne Mansfield, partly filmed on the Steel Pier.
• Atlantic City (1980 film) - featuring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon; shows the Steel Pier in the background in one scene.

In music

"Steel Pier" - sung by Bobby Rydell on a 1963 promotional single.^[11]

"Amusement Parks U.S.A." - sung by the

Beach Boys

, references the Steel Pier, along with many other American amusement parks

In theater

Million Dollar Pier

, not the Steel Pier.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steel Pier.

• A Girl and Five Brave Horses
• Diving horse
• Sonora Webster Carver
• William Frank Carver

References

1. Press of Atlantic City
   . Retrieved August 4, 2011.
2. ^ "Crossing the Goal Line". Casinoconnectionac.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
3. ^ Futrell, Jim (2004). Amusement Parks of New Jersey. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 53.
4. ^ "Kyw.com - Atlantic City's Steel Pier to Close Its Doors". CBS. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
5. ^ "Goodbye, Steel Pier". Press of Atlantic City. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
6. ^ Highsmith, Carol M. (2017). "Aerial view of the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey". www.loc.gov. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
7. ^ "Atlantic City taking a risky plunge with return of diving horses". Nj.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
8. ^ "That sinking feeling: Atlantic City plan to bring back diving horses tanks amid activists' outcry". Nj.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
9. ^ "Tickets & Rides". Steel Pier AC. July 1, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
10. ^ Brad Smith (February 24, 2012). "Three Stooges at Steel Pier, Atlantic City -- 1938". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
11. ^ Rydell, Bobby. "Steel Pier". YouTube. Retrieved May 18, 2017.^{[dead YouTube link]}

Bibliography

• Leibowitz. Steel (2009). Steel Pier, Atlantic City: Showplace of the Nation. West Creek, NJ: Down the Shore Publishing.
  ISBN 9781593220365
  .

External links

• Official website
• "The Old Steel Pier & Atlantic City". Facebook.
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NJ-64, "Steel Pier, Boardwalk at Virginia Avenue, Atlantic City, Atlantic County, NJ", 11 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
• Steel Pier at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• "Steel Pier Chronology"

Video

• "Steel Pier Remembered". KYW-TV CBS. Philadelphia.
• "Home video of Steel Pier Diving Bell taken in the 1960s"
• "Home video of Steel Pier Diving Horse taken in the 1960s"