The city's historic pier, which houses the Atlantic City Historical Museum and Art Center, re-opens with multiple upgrades and historic transition.
The Atlantic City Free Public Library will now be operating the Atlantic City Historical Museum located across from Revel on the Garden Pier.
On Tuesday it was announced that the Historical Museum's collection and operations were being transferred to the library, which will manage the museum.
The library, which is a service of the City of Atlantic City, reopened the Historical Museum on Aug. 27. The museum's hours of operation are 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, effective immediately.
The City of Atlantic City, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection contributed to the 2012 renovation of Garden Pier, where the recently re-opened museum has been upgraded with an "improved exterior and interior for a more appealing appearance," according to a press release from the CRDA.
The city's Art Center, which stands across the pier from the Historical Museum, has also been upgraded in the Garden Pier renovation, which has included updates to lighting, structural supports, landscaping, the demolition of the pier's weathered ocean side and work on the interior of the Historical Museum.
ABOVE: The former Club Harlem where artists such as Sam Cooke, James Brown and hordes of other legendary performers played. The photo is one of many the A.C. Free Public Library has in its massive Heston collection.
According to a report, the library has big plans for the historical center, including the incorporation of select items from its outstanding Alfred M. Heston Collection, introducing new displays and exhibits and possibly providing free Wi-Fi access and more public seating on the pier as a whole.
“We’ll be updating [the museum], and adding new information through new displays,” Frank told a reporter on Monday. “The library has a great collection of historical items about Atlantic City. This location will allow us to share them even more.”
The Historical Museum's chairman Bob Ruffolo and vice chairman Herb Stern, along with co-founders and present board members Vicki Gold Levi and Anthony Kutschera, are confident that the Atlantic City Free Public Library can help tell Atlantic City's history to a larger audience for years to come.
The Heston Collection, which is housed at the Main Library in downtown Atlantic City, includes published and unpublished works, including photographs, postcards and other memorabilia.
The library will partner with outside organizations to display their collections at the museum as well.
"We are grateful to the Atlantic City Historical Museum board members for the trust they have placed in us to continue their work of showcasing Atlantic City's rich history on Garden Pier," Atlantic City Free Public Library director Maureen Sherr Frank said.
"We have a golden opportunity to create something special at the museum with the various collections that are now available to us," Library Board of Trustees president William Cheatham said.
For more information about the Atlantic City Historical Museum, check out atlanticcityexperience.org or www.acfpl.org.
With Boardwalk Empire's third season starting Sept. 16, the time couldn't be better for this historic transfer of Atlantic City's history.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Many new programs have been put in place by the ACFPL since assuming management of the museum, the next of which is entitled “The Atlantic City Experience: The Night Clubs and the Northside.”
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Revel, the glittering jewel at the north end of the Atlantic City Boardwalk, has had a rough beginning on the gaming side of the ledger since it opened in late spring. However, on the entertainment side, it has delivered positive vibrations and national headlines.
By the summer of 1912, Atlantic City had established itself as a premier vacation resort. Its sun, surf and Boardwalk, along with adult offerings of alcohol, gambling and prostitution, could satisfy a variety of appetites.
From the famous organ at Boardwalk Hall and the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969, to Boardwalk Empire era tales and KY & the Curb.
From Pop Lloyd to Pattie Harris to Nucky Johnson and the Northside, not to mention Nina Simone and Sam Cooke and other entertainers' connections to Atlantic City and region.
From Nelson Johnson and the original book to the Grammy-winning soundtrack, interviews with the cast and executives of the HBO show set in Atlantic City and the real stories behind the drama series.
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My fondest Kentucky Avenue memory is gaping in awe at the mere size of Muhammad Ali as he lifted me into the air with one huge hand.
For years the Atlantic City Free Public Library (ACFPL), located at One North Tennessee Ave. in A.C., has been putting together an exceptional array of free exhibits and activities to honor February as Black History Month.
The Web site – atlanticcityexperience.org – provides some of the extensive resources contained in the library’s Alfred M. Heston Collection. The collection contains books, photographs, postcards, audio, video, digital files and memorabilia pertaining to the city’s history.
Plus Ludacris concert, 'Diary of Anne Frank' at Stockton PAC and new Grinderman CD
The Atlantic City Free Public Library will offer a series of special programs in February to celebrate Black History Month. The programs include a month-long exhibit called “A Pictorial of Club Harlem and the Way We Were,” which will highlight, through photos and memorabilia, the legendary A.C. club and the local African-American community during the mid-1900s. The grand opening for the exhibit, presented in conjunction with the African-American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey (AAHMSJ), will be held Monday, Feb. 1, 6pm, in the library’s second-floor meeting room (1 N. Tennessee Ave.) in A.C. The exhibit is free and will remain open for public viewing during normal library business hours. Guest speakers will include AAHMSJ founder Ralph E. Hunter Sr. and former Club Harlem dancer Pattie Harris. “Since I started here in Feb. 2006 we’ve always done a lot for Black History Month, and this is at least the third straight year we’re honored to have Ralph Hunter as part of the exhibit,” says A.C. Library public...
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1. turiya said... on Aug 28, 2012 at 10:35AM
“I THINK IT'S GREAT AND THE TIMING COULDN'T BE BETTER! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE MUSEUM TO RE-OPEN AND I THINK BEING ACROSS FROM REVEL, MORE PEOPLE WILL VENTURE INSIDE AND LEARN ABOUT OUR CITY'S FASCINATING HISTORY.”
2. Amos Frawley said... on Aug 28, 2012 at 01:51PM
“One thing is for sure: This is something in the right direction of moving AC forward: LOOKING TO ITS PAST!!!!!!!!”
3. pat said... on Aug 29, 2012 at 09:25AM
“We have been watching the progress of the Pier each time we visit. On the last visit workers allowed us to walk on the pier and the craftsmanship was just outstanding. The transformation is miraculous and a plus for this end of the boardwalk. Visited the old museum several times before the renovation. Can't wait until Sept 5 when we will be visiting again!”
4. AL said... on Aug 29, 2012 at 02:36PM
“I am going to miss the coin toss into the fountain. My wish always came true. Garden Pier an Icon for Atlantic city. We went back in the 50's to this pier.”