Atlantic City Weekly

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WHILE WORKING ON THE historical timeline sidebar for our Cover Story on Resorts (see Resorts Renewed on page 66), I uncovered a ton of fantastic historical material that could never fit even if this week's issue was 200 pages. I decided to include just the casino-era history of Resorts and share the pre-casino history of that property with you in this space.

The Resorts property traces its origin to 1868, when the three-story Chalfonte Hotel opened its doors. (A conflicting historical account notes that the Chalfonte opened exactly 100 years ago in 1904. If anyone can accurately clear this matter up, please contact me). Not long afterwards, Haddon Hall opened next door (before then end of that decade) just next door. By the 1920s, the two hotels combined to form the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall, a 1,000-room grand hotel and one of the country's most luxurious vacation hotels. and the two eventually merged to become the 1,000-room Chalfonte-Haddon Hall, one of Atlantic City's most luxurious hotels.

The Chalfonte-Haddon Hall had a rich and colorful history, but one of the more unique facets of that history dates back 60 years to the second World War. During the World War II, Atlantic City became known as "Camp Boardwalk" as the military industrial complex invaded this resort town and turned it into a military installation due to Atlantic City's strategic location and favorable environment.

Not long after Boardwalk Hall was converted into a basic training center for the Army Air Forces, the Chalfonte Haddon Hall temporarily became known as the England General and Convalescent Hospital.

After the war, Atlantic City experienced a long period of decline. By the 1960s half the resort's hotel inventory had disappeared. In the '70s things had gotten desperate. A couple of referenda to legalize gambling had been shot down by New Jersey voters. But in 1976 some compromises were made and the opposition had gotten worn down. A new referendum calling for gambling only in Atlantic City passed, but the folks at Resorts International had already seen the writing on the wall.

Resorts International jumped on the pro-casino bandwagon early and donated generously to fund the efforts of those pushing for the referendum's passage. Resorts was on a shopping spree in Atlantic City, buying land along the boardwalk and grabbing up the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall hotel for $2.5 million. This gave Resorts an insurmountable competitive advantage over other casino companies hoping to get in on the East Coast casino monopoly.

With the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall purchase, Resorts gained a year on the competition, saving millions by avoiding the construction of a new hotel (the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall was the only one in Atlantic City to meet the state's 500-room requirement to open a casino). All the other casino operators who had purchased smaller hotels were required to tear them down and build from scratch. By May 1978, the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall's 1,000 rooms had been reduced to 566 to make way for the casino itself and all of the restaurants and retail outlets.

The 17-story beachfront Haddon Hall Hotel is now the main structure of Resorts Atlantic City. The Chalfonte Hotel has long been raised and the memories have been paved over to form a parking lot.

Now, Resorts' current owners, Colony Capital, have embarked upon writing a new chapter in the story of Resorts Atlantic City. The new tower looms large over the old Haddon Hall structure, but may never eclipse the glorious past of the original Resorts.

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