After years of operating and leasing the Steel Pier from Trump Entertainment, the Catanoso family, along with its partners, has officially purchased the site and name.
All photos courtesy of E.J. Devokaitis at the Big House Museum in Macon, Ga.
ATLANTIC CITY — Steel Pier Associates, LLC, it was announced late Wednesday, Aug. 3, has become the new and latest owner of Atlantic City's famed Steel Pier, an amusement park with a rich history, which resides on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
After years of speculation with regard to the sale of the pier, Steel Pier Associates purchased the venue from Trump Entertainment Group, Inc. on Wednesday, "weeks before it was to be presented at a special auction," according to release sent to the media.
The 1,000-foot pier, its buildings, a full-scale heliport, and the rights to the name, Steel Pier, are all included in the sale, the amount of which has not yet been disclosed.
The principals of Steel Pier Associates, the company that now owns the Steel Pier, include the Catanoso brothers -- Anthony, Charles and William, "as well as long-standing partner, Ed Olwell, all of whom have been the leaders of the companies leasing and operating Steel Pier for the past 20 years," states the media release.
A new partner with the company is Paul Steelman, an internationally acclaimed entertainment architect, best known for designing the Sands Macao, the first Las Vegas Style casino in Asia.
“This purchase means more to us than just owning the structure on which we operate an amusement park,” Anthony Catanoso, president of Steel Pier Associates said in the news release. “For us, it’s an honor to own something that has touched and entertained so many people over the years.”
Catanoso added that there will be changes in the future now that the sale is final.
“As a lease holder, we were unable to make long-term plans. As the owner of Steel Pier, we now have some amazing opportunities that we will be evaluating for the future,” said Catanoso.
The Catanoso brothers were already seasoned amusement-park veterans when they reopened Atlantic City’s Steel Pier with 14 rides in 1993, a scant 22 days after signing a five-year lease that extended to the year the famous Pier turned 100.
One year to the date Gov. Chris Christie signed landmark legislation designed to revitalize Atlantic City and set the surrounding region on a new course for economic growth, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) adopted the Atlantic City Tourism District Master Plan in a special meeting Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the A.C. Convention Center.
He billed himself as the “Champion Shot of the World” and the “Spirit Gun of the West.” The Indians, he proclaimed, dubbed him “Evil Spirit” for his uncanny marksmanship with rifle or pistol, on terra firma or in the saddle. He shared the initials....
The famed wooden way can boast not only a rich history but a promising future as well. Originally commissioned solely to keep beachgoers from tracking sand into oceanfront hotels and railroad cars, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk has grown into a highway of entertainment and one of the country’s most noteworthy shore-side playgrounds.
For Catanoso, the interest of casinos in embracing the amusement pier is a hopeful sign. Operators of family attractions have long been battling it out alone.
Forty years ago this summer at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, the Allman Brothers Band shared a bill with another legendary performer — a four-footed one.
Archive photos (circa 1900-1910) courtesy of Library of Congress; Modern (2007) photos by Tom Briglia Long before the casinos arrived, Atlantic City's Steel Pier was the place to see the greatest ent...
As the bus rolled across southern New Jersey, Doug Potash could feel the anticipation build as he drew closer to Atlantic City. It was Friday, July 1, 1966, the start of the Independence Day weekend....
It was the middle of World War II and the radio show was called Night Trick, a network-feed broadcast on Atlantic City's WFPG (World's Famous Playground) from the Steel Pier. Announcer Ed Hurst, who ...
Article:
Upcoming Casino Concerts in Atlantic City
Article:
Casino Promotions
Article:
Summer Guide 2013
Article:
South Jersey, Meet New Orleans
Article:
Summer 2013 Movie Preview
Article:
Garden State Girls
Article:
A ‘Resolution’ for Lamb of God
Article:
Historic Horse Racing a Sure Bet?
Share this Story: