Editing Atlantic City, New Jersey (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Atlantic City Boardwalk crowd in front of Blenheim hotel 1911 re-retouched.jpg|thumb|Atlantic City Boardwalk crowd in front of [[Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel]] in 1911]]
[[File:Boardwalk Hall—Atlantic City coat of arms.jpg|thumb|{{lang|la|Consilio et prudentia}}, Atlantic City's motto, along with its coat of arms on historic [[Boardwalk Hall]], built during [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]], which lasted from 1919 to 1933]]
[[File:Chalfonte hotel brochure013.JPG|thumb|[[Resorts Casino Hotel|Haddon Hall Hotel]] depicted on a mid-1930s postcard]]
In the early 20th century, Atlantic City experienced a radical building boom. Many of the modest boarding houses that dotted the boardwalk were replaced with large hotels. Two of the city's most distinctive hotels were the [[Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel]] and the [[Traymore Hotel]].

In 1902, Josiah White III bought a parcel of land near Ohio Avenue and the boardwalk, where he started construction and built the [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne style]] Marlborough House. The hotel was a success. In 1905, he chose to expand the hotel and bought another parcel of land adjacent to his Marlborough House. In an effort to make his new hotel a source of conversation, White hired the architectural firm of Price and McLanahan. The firm made use of [[reinforced concrete]], a new building material invented by Jean-Louis Lambot in 1848, and Joseph Monier received the patent in 1867. The hotel's Spanish and Moorish themes, capped off with its signature dome and chimneys, represented a step forward from other hotels that had a classically designed influence. White named the new hotel the Blenheim and merged the two hotels into the Marlborough-Blenheim. [[Bally's Atlantic City]] was later constructed at this location.

The Traymore Hotel was located at the corner of Illinois Avenue and the boardwalk. Constructed in 1879 as a small boarding house, the hotel grew through a series of uncoordinated expansions. By 1914, the hotel's owner, Daniel White, Josiah White's half-brother,<ref>[[Traymore Hotel]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=October 2023}} taking a hint from the Marlborough-Blenheim, commissioned the firm of Price and McLanahan to build an even bigger hotel. Rising 16 stories, the tan brick and gold-capped hotel would become one of the city's best-known landmarks. The hotel made use of ocean-facing hotel rooms by jutting its wings farther from the main portion of the hotel along Pacific Avenue.

One by one, additional large hotels were constructed along the boardwalk, including the Brighton, Chelsea, Shelburne, Ambassador, Ritz Carlton, Mayflower, Madison House, and the Breakers. The [[Quakers|Quaker]]-owned Chalfonte House, opened in 1868, and Haddon House, opened in 1869, flanked North Carolina Avenue at the beach end. Over the years, their original wood-frame structures would be enlarged, and even moved closer to the beach. The modern Chalfonte Hotel, eight stories tall, opened in 1904. The modern Haddon Hall was built in stages and was completed in 1929, at eleven stories. By this time, they were under the same ownership and merged into the [[Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel]], becoming the city's largest hotel with nearly 1,000 rooms. By 1930, the Claridge, the city's last large hotel before the casinos, opened its doors.

The 400-room Claridge was built by a partnership that included renowned Philadelphia contractor [[John McShain]]. At 24 stories, it would become known as the "Skyscraper by the Sea".

With tourism peaking in the 1920s, the period is often considered by historians to be Atlantic City's golden age. During [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], which was enacted nationally in 1919 and lasted until 1933, much liquor was consumed and gambling regularly took place in the back rooms of nightclubs and restaurants. During Prohibition, [[racketeer]] and political boss [[Enoch L. Johnson|Enoch L. "Nucky" Johnson]] rose to power. Prohibition was largely unenforced in Atlantic City. Because alcohol that had been smuggled into the city with the implicit approval of local officials, it was easily obtained at restaurants and other establishments, and the resort's popularity grew further.<ref>[http://atlanticcityexperience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=4 "Nucky's Empire: The Prohibition Years – Prohibition in a Wide Open Town"], The Atlantic City Experience. Accessed December 19, 2011. "In Atlantic City, Prohibition was essentially unenforced by the local authorities. Atlantic City was a well-known haven for those seeking alcohol. The tourist-based economy of the resort encouraged business owners to provide whatever was needed to make the visitors happy."</ref> The city then dubbed itself as "The World's Playground".<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/atlanticcityworl01nati/atlanticcityworl01nati_djvu.txt ''Atlantic City, the world's playground''], National City Advertising Company, 1922. Accessed October 15, 2015.</ref><ref>Staff. [http://www.bangkokpost.com/arts-and-culture/film/213897/the-world-playground "The World's Playground"], ''[[Bangkok Post]]'', March 12, 2010. Accessed June 23, 2016.</ref> Nucky Johnson's income, which reached as much as $500,000 annually, came from the [[Kickback (bribery)|kickbacks]] he took on illegal liquor, gambling and prostitution operating in the city, as well as from kickbacks on construction projects.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/10/archives/enoch-l-johnson-exboss-in-jersey-prohibitionera-ruler-of-atlantic.html "Enoch L. Johnson, Ex-Boss in Jersey – Prohibition-Era Ruler of Atlantic City, 85, Dies"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 10, 1968, p. 47. Accessed February 4, 2012. "Most of Johnson's income in his heyday came from the percentage he took on each gallon of illegal liquor... Johnson's income from vice amounted to more than $500,000 a year, investigators said."</ref>

During this time, Atlantic City was led by mayor [[Edward L. Bader]], known for his contributions to the construction, athletics and aviation of Atlantic City.<ref name="casino">Schwartz, David. [http://casinoconnectionac.com/issue/november-2010/article/crossing-the-goal-line "Crossing the Goal Line"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708123102/http://casinoconnectionac.com/issue/november-2010/article/crossing-the-goal-line |date=July 8, 2011 }}, ''Casino Connection'', Vol. 7, No. 11, November 2010. Accessed December 19, 2011.</ref> Despite opposition, he had Atlantic City purchase the land that became the city's municipal airport and high school football stadium, both of which were later named [[Bader Field]] in his honor.<ref>Harris-Para, Barbara. [http://www.tc.faa.gov/act4/insidethefence/2006/0102_16_bader.htm "Bader Field: Past, Present and Future"], [[Federal Aviation Administration]]. Accessed December 19, 2011.</ref> He led the initiative, in 1923, to construct the [[Atlantic City High School]] at Albany and Atlantic Avenues.<ref name="casino"/> Bader, in November 1923, initiated a public referendum, during the general election, at which time residents approved the construction of a Convention Center. The city passed an ordinance approving a bond issue for $1.5&nbsp;million to be used for the purchase of land for Convention Hall, now known as the [[Boardwalk Hall]], finalized on September 30, 1924.<ref>[http://www.boardwalkhall.com/pastevents.asp History of Events at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730085045/http://www.boardwalkhall.com/pastevents.asp |date=July 30, 2014 }}, [[Boardwalk Hall]]. Accessed December 19, 2011.</ref> Bader was also a driving force behind the creation of the [[Miss America]] competition.<ref name=Good2010>Good, Dan. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/blogs/boardwalk_empire/article_29fbac66-f37a-11df-9f2e-001cc4c002e0.html "Atlantic City's Bader beloved for good reason"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', November 18, 2010. Accessed December 19, 2011.</ref>

In May 1929, Johnson hosted a [[Atlantic City Conference|conference]] for [[organized crime]] figures from all across America that created a [[National Crime Syndicate]]. The men who called this meeting were [[Luciano crime family#Masseria|Masseria family]] [[caporegime|lieutenant]] [[Charlie Luciano|Charles "Lucky" Luciano]] and former Chicago [[Chicago Outfit|South Side Gang]] [[crime boss|boss]] [[Johnny Torrio|Johnny "the Fox" Torrio]], with heads of the [[Bugs and Meyer Mob]], [[Meyer Lansky]] and [[Bugsy Siegel|Benjamin Siegel]], being used as muscle for the meeting.<ref>Harper, Derek. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/atlantic_city/years-ago-the-mob-came-to-atlantic-city-for-a/article_3d2aedaa-856e-5e81-8e5a-9db020bed549.html "80 years ago, the Mob came to Atlantic City for a little strategic planning"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', May 13, 2009. Accessed July 27, 2017. "Eighty years ago today, mobsters from around the United States descended on 'The World's Playground' for the start of a secret four-day convention. When the 'Atlantic City Conference' broke up May 16, the groundwork had been laid for the nation's first organized-crime syndicate, a network that crisscrossed the nation and took decades to disentangle."</ref>

Gangster and businessman [[Al Capone]] attended the conference and was photographed walking along the Atlantic City boardwalk with Johnson.<ref>[https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/when-the-mob-and-al-capone-came-to-atlantic-city/article_d7d281c7-4b8e-5b0d-b7d2-806e97d42d62.html "When the mob and Al Capone came to Atlantic City for some strategic planning"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', January 16, 2017. Accessed March 18, 2020. "Nucky, second from right, walks the Boardwalk with Al Capone, third from right, and other mob figures for the May 1929 'Atlantic Convention' of organized crime figures from around the nation."</ref>

The 1930s through the 1960s were a heyday for nightclub entertainment. Popular venues on the white-populated south side included the [[500 Club]], the [[Clicquot Club]], and the [[Jockey Club (Atlantic City, New Jersey)|Jockey Club]]. In the [[Northside, Atlantic City|Northside neighborhood]], home to African Americans in the racially segregated city, a black entertainment district reigned on Kentucky Avenue.

Four major nightclubs, [[Club Harlem]], the [[Paradise Club (Atlantic City, New Jersey)|Paradise Club]], [[Grace's Little Belmont]], and [[Wonder Gardens]], drew both black and white patrons. During the summer tourist season, jazz and R&B music could be heard into the wee hours of the morning. [[Soul food]] restaurants and [[Ribs (food)|ribs]] joints also lined Kentucky Avenue, including [[Wash's Restaurant]],<ref>[http://www.atlanticcityexperience.org/10005-experience-the/ky-and-the-curb/224-wash-s-restaurant.html Wash's Restaurant] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820105709/http://www.atlanticcityexperience.org/10005-experience-the/ky-and-the-curb/224-wash-s-restaurant.html |date=August 20, 2018 }}, Atlantic City Experience. Accessed December 21, 2016.</ref> Jerry's and Sap's.<ref>Bykofsky, Stuard D. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160817054437/http://articles.philly.com/1987-03-03/entertainment/26219003_1_sam-cooke-harlem-band-musicians "Harlem Nocturne: Requiem For A Club"], ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'', March 3, 1987, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of August 17, 2016. Accessed January 13, 2017.</ref>

[[File:Civil Air Patrol Marker, Bader Field, Atlantic City.jpg|thumb|Marker to the Civil Air Patrol, Bader Field, Atlantic City]]
[[File:World War II Memorial Plaque, Convention Hall, Atlantic City.jpg|thumb|Plaque in Atlantic City for World War II Service]]

Like many older [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] cities after [[World War II]], Atlantic City became plagued with poverty, crime, corruption, and general economic decline in the mid-to-late 20th century. The neighborhood known as the "Inlet" became particularly impoverished. The reasons for the resort's decline were multi-layered. First, the automobile became more readily available to many Americans after the war. Atlantic City had initially relied upon visitors coming by train and staying for a couple of weeks. The car allowed them to come and go as they pleased, and many people would spend only a few days, rather than weeks. The [[Suburbanization#United States|advent of suburbia]] also played a significant role. With many families moving to their own private houses, luxuries such as home air conditioning and swimming pools diminished their interest in flocking to the luxury beach resorts during the hot summer. Finally, the rise of relatively cheap jet airline service allowed visitors to travel to year-round resort places such as [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]] and the [[The Bahamas|Bahamas]].<ref>Ryan, Robert. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Kv8PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Jo0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1641,5311455&dq=atlantic-city+decline+jet+travel+miami&hl=en "Casinos mean facelift for Atlantic City"], ''[[Boca Raton News]]'', October 24, 1978. Accessed August 23, 2013. "Drawn by the year-round warmth of southern vacation spots, tourists have increasingly abandoned Atlantic City. Less expensive high-speed jet travel and rising middle-class affluence hastened the decline."</ref>

The city hosted the [[1964 Democratic National Convention]] which nominated [[Lyndon Johnson]] for president and [[Hubert Humphrey]] as vice president. The convention and the press coverage it generated, however, cast a harsh light on Atlantic City, which by then was in the midst of a long period of economic decline. Many felt that the friendship between Johnson and [[Governor of New Jersey]] [[Richard J. Hughes]] led Atlantic City to host the Democratic Convention.<ref>Waltzer, Jim. [http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/news-and-views/waltz-through-time/when_the_democrats_came_to_town-50963622.html "When the Democrats Came to Town: Atlantic City hosted LBJ and company in 1964 and it was not an artistic success"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114134100/http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/news-and-views/waltz-through-time/when_the_democrats_came_to_town-50963622.html |date=January 14, 2011 }}, ''Atlantic City Weekly'', November 23, 2006. Accessed February 4, 2012. "The Democratic minions launched their opening ceremonies on Aug. 24 in Atlantic City, chosen for no small reason due to Johnson's close friendship with New Jersey Governor Richard Hughes."</ref>

By the late 1960s, many of the resort's once great hotels were suffering from high vacancy rates. Most of them were either shut down, converted to cheap apartments, or converted to nursing home facilities by the end of the decade. Prior to and during the advent of legalized gambling, many of these hotels were demolished. The Breakers, [[Chelsea Hotel (Atlantic City)|The Chelsea]], the Brighton, the Shelburne, the Mayflower, the [[Traymore Hotel|Traymore]] and the [[Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel|Marlborough-Blenheim]] were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s. Of the many pre-casino resorts that bordered the boardwalk, only the Claridge, the Dennis, the [[Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Atlantic City)|Ritz-Carlton]], and the Haddon Hall survive to this day as parts of [[Bally's Atlantic City]], a condo complex, and [[Resorts Atlantic City]]. The old Ambassador Hotel was purchased by Ramada in 1978 and was gutted to become the [[Tropicana Casino and Resort Atlantic City]], only reusing the steelwork of the original building.<ref>Hoffman, Lori. [http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/casinos/features/Tropicana-Celebrates-30th-Anniversary-133542943.html?page=3&comments=1&showAll= "Tropicana Celebrates 30 Years in Atlantic City; The casino has had a bumpy ride in last decade, but is currently on the rise again"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715191629/http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/casinos/features/Tropicana-Celebrates-30th-Anniversary-133542943.html?page=3&comments=1&showAll= |date=July 15, 2014 }}, ''Atlantic City Weekly'', November 9, 2011. Accessed August 23, 2013. "Tropicana Milestones• 1978: Ramada purchases the former Ambassador Hotel building for $20&nbsp;million• 1981: Tropicana Atlantic City officially opens on November 23 including indoor amusement area Tivoli Pier"</ref> Smaller hotels off the boardwalk, such as the [[Madison Hotel (Atlantic City)|Madison]] also survived.

====Legalized gambling====
{{Main|Gambling in New Jersey}}
In an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 passed a referendum, approving [[casino]] gambling for Atlantic City; this came after a 1974 referendum on legalized gambling failed to pass. Immediately after the legislation passed, the owners of the [[Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel]] began converting it into the Resorts International. It was the first legal casino in the eastern United States when it opened on May 26, 1978.<ref>Clarity, James F. [https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/27/archives/its-place-your-bets-as-easts-first-casino-opens-its-place-your-bets.html "It's 'Place Your Bets' at Opening Of First Gambling Casino in East An Inlay of Gaudiness 'So Far, It Looks Good' 'It Rained Quarters' Huge Crowds Expected Minority Groups Complain"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 27, 1978. Accessed August 8, 2018.</ref>

Other casinos were soon constructed along the Boardwalk and, later, in the marina district for a total of nine today.{{when|date=November 2021}} The introduction of gambling did not, however, quickly eliminate many of the urban problems that plagued Atlantic City. Many people have suggested that it only served to exacerbate those problems, as attested to by the stark contrast between tourism intensive areas and the adjacent impoverished working-class neighborhoods.<ref>Bryant Simon, ''Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the fate of urban America'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004).</ref>

While Atlantic City has been less popular than [[Las Vegas]] as a gambling city in the United States,<ref>[[Florence Fabricant|Fabricant, Florence]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/dining/26city.html "Atlantic City Is In on the Bet"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 26, 2005. Accessed February 4, 2012.</ref> [[Donald Trump]] helped bring big name boxing bouts to the city to attract customers to his casinos. [[Mike Tyson]] fought most of his fights in Atlantic City in the 1980s, which helped Atlantic City achieve national attention as a gambling resort and vacation destination.<ref>Berger, Phil. [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampabay/access/51253573.html?dids=51253573:51253573&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+23%252C+1988&author=PHIL+BERGER&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Trump+fights+to+make+Atlantic+City+king&pqatl=google "Trump fights to make Atlantic City king"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315174355/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampabay/access/51253573.html?dids=51253573:51253573&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+23%252C+1988&author=PHIL+BERGER&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Trump+fights+to+make+Atlantic+City+king&pqatl=google |date=March 15, 2013 }}, ''[[Tampa Bay Times]]'', January 23, 1988. Accessed February 4, 2012. "But lately, Trump has begun to show that knack for the bottom line in another endeavor. In less than a year he has become a force in the world of boxing in Atlantic City, N.J., buying the live rights to prime-time bouts that once were almost exclusive to Las Vegas casinos."</ref>

Several [[List of tallest buildings in Atlantic City|highrise condominiums]] were built for use as permanent residences or second homes.<ref>Janson, Donald. [https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/28/realestate/atlantic-city-condominiums-bought-for-fun-and-profit.html "Atlantic Condominiums Bought for Fun and Profit"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 28, 1983. Accessed October 15, 2015. "Five years after the first casino opened in Atlantic City and began to transform the shabby Boardwalk into a boulevard of gambling and entertainment emporiums, major high-rise luxury condominium projects are beginning to pierce the city's skyline."</ref> By end of the decade, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.<ref>Painton, Priscilla. [http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,958614-4,00.html "Atlantic City, New Jersey Boardwalk Of Broken DreamsThe hometown of the con job may now be the victim of one"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', September 25, 1989. Accessed October 15, 2015. "Today Atlantic City has enough class to bring Cher, the queen of camp, back to the concert stage, enough savvy to have harvested $2.73&nbsp;billion in the last year from bettors in its casinos, and enough allure to be the most popular destination in America."</ref>