Claridge Hotel - Atlantic City, NJ
The Claridge Hotel was built in 1930 during the great depression by John McShain. It is 24 stories high and had 400 hotel rooms. Brighton Park was directly in front of the hotel and it was borderd by Park Place. The Claridge Hotel is still in operation but it is now part of the Bally's Casino Hotel complex, and it now includes a casino.
Claridge Hotel - 1930
Postcard by E. C. Kropp Co. - from the collection of Thomas Topham.
The 24 story Claridge Hotel opened in 1930, during the great depression. General Electric provided the Fountain of Light that was in the center of Brighton Park, in front of the Claridge, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison. The Marlbourough hotel was at the left, and the Brighton hotel to the right.
Marilyn Monroe stayed at the Claridge during the fifties when she was grand marshal of the annual Miss America Pageant. Other famous guests included Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Claridge Hotel - 2008
The Claridge hotel still exist and is in operation. In 1981 the Del Web Corporation bought the Claridge and converted it to a casino. The Claridge was subsequently bought by Bally's in 2003, and became part of the Bally's Casino Hotel complex. Bally's 49 story casino-hotel towers over the nearby Claridge.
Presently the Claridge is undergoing a $20 million upgrade. The exterior is being refurbished to preserve its neo-Georgian archetecture. Its 500 guest rooms are also being upgraded.