After managing to remain open as multiple casinos closed up shop along the once iconic Atlantic City boardwalk, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort will meet the same fate, closing its flashy, extravagant doors after Labor Day.

• What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Nc
• What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Hall
• What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Md
• What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Boardwalk

The Atlantic City Hilton Hotel and Casino and Taj Mahal were also purchased by Trump during the mid-1980s for a combined fee of $555 million with the venues being re-named as the Trump Marina. My relationship with Trump began in 1989, when he asked me to supply several grand and upright pianos to his then-new Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. I'd been running a music store for more than 30 years at that point, selling instruments to local schools and residents.

Yesterday’s announcement makes the casino, once dubbed the 'eighth greatest wonder in the world,' the fifth to close in Atlantic City since 2014. Four casinos shuttered within that year, all but ending the resort town’s history as the ritzy gambling mecca of the Mid-Atlantic.

Billionaire owner Carl Ichan bought Donald Trump’s remaining 10 percent ownership stake of Trump Taj Mahal in January 2016, saving the casino resort from bankruptcy. Yet despite plans to invest $100 million in renovations, Icahn said the recent month-long strike by union workers employed by the resort was to blame for the casino’s closure, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

Critics and employees say Icahn is just pointing fingers. Regardless of who's or what is to blame, the closing of the grand casino resort is a blow to the already struggling town that itself has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy since 2015. The closure also marks the last remaining link to Trump's reign over Atlantic City during the 1990s when he owned three casinos on the boardwalk.

As the Trump Taj Mahal takes its final bow, here is a look back at the five casino resorts of the Atlantic City boardwalk, from start to finish.

The Trump Taj Mahal in 2011. Courtesy of Flickr user Shabai Liu.

Trump Taj Mahal (1990-September 2016)

When it was built in 1990, the 120,000-square-foot Trump Taj Mahal claimed to be the biggest casino in the world (it wasn’t) and called itself the 'the eighth greatest wonder of the world.' Owned by Donald Trump, the resort featured 2,010 rooms, multiple restaurants, and of course, thousands square feet of gaming space.

Yet money problems began to plague the casino within a year that it opened. According to Philly Mag, Trump couldn’t afford his $900 million per year payments. While it was the highest-grossing casino in Atlantic City until 2003, it eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2014 until billionaire Carl Ichan took over, keeping Trump's namesake.

Trump Plaza was the first casino resort in Atlantic City owned by Donald Trump. Courtesy of Flickr users Anthony Quintano and natalie419.

Trump Plaza (1984-September 2014)

Trump Plaza opened on May 15, 1984 and became the first Trump-owned casino resort and the largest in the city, clocking in at more than 91,000 square feet. The 39-story black and white building housed 60,000-square-feet of gaming space and 600-plus hotel rooms.

At the start of construction, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Trump Plaza was poised to be the 'most striking' of all casinos on the boardwalk, with its glass-enclosed rooms looking over the ocean. Over the years it underwent a couple of renovations and expansions, but by 2011 Trump’s company looked to sell the casino. In 2014, it became the fourth casino to close in Atlantic City that year.

Revel cost $2.4 billion to build and closed after just two years. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Revel (2012-September 2014)

The shortest-lived casino in Atlantic City’s history, Revel barely lasted two years before closing up shop. Local firm BLT Architects was the architect of record for a majority of the project, which featured 1,399 hotel rooms, 13 restaurants, two night clubs, and swimming pools. It was the tallest building in Atlantic City—and at $2.4 billion the most expensive.

Yet despite drawing big-name acts like Beyonce and Maroon 5 to its doors, the resort couldn’t make its payments and filed for bankruptcy in 2013. On September 2, 2014, it became the third casino to close in Atlantic City that year.

Courtesy of Flickr user Kevin Jarrett.

Current owner Glenn Straub, who bought Revel for $82 million in 2016, has thought of a long list of ideas for Revel’s comeback, ranging from a medical tourism resort to housing for Syrian refugees to today’s plan: A resort with an equestrian facility and water park.

The plan to open the resort this past June came and went, and now Straub is aiming for a fall opening, dependent on licensing and inspections.

The Showboat Casino closed in August 2014. Philly developer Bart Blatstein bought the property and has re-opened it as a hotel. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Showboat Casino (1987-August 2014)

The Showboat opened in 1987 with a 60,000-square-foot casino and a bowling alley. For the most part, the resort had a successful tenure, despite changing ownership multiple times and undergoing multiple renovations and expansions. Yet in the summer of 2014 owner Caesars Entertainment announced it would close the Showboat in order to 'stabilize their other Atlantic City properties.'

It is, however, one of the two casinos that’s seeing some new life on this list. Though the original plan for Stockton University to turn the Showboat into a dormitory, it ultimately sold the property to Philly developer Bart Blatstein in 2016 for $23 million. Blatstein re-opened Showboat just this past July as a hotel sans casino. In his announcement, the developer said, 'There’s a lot more coming. This is the start of a much greater plan.'

Atlantic Club Casino Hotel underwent many names over the years, including Bally's, the Hilton, and finally, the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Atlantic Club Casino Hotel (1980-January 2014)

Of the five now-closed casinos, Atlantic Club Casino Hotel was the first to open and first to close. The casino has undergone a list of names and owners, including Golden Nugget, Bally’s, Hilton, ACH Casino Resort, and finally, the Atlantic Club.

At about 75,000 square feet, Atlantic Club was the smallest of the five casinos and the least flashy, earning the reputation for being a 'locals only' casino.

The hotel closed in January 2014, but by 2015 the property showed some promise with plans for an 81,000-square-foot waterpark gaining traction. Yet despite the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approving the park in July 2015, the deal between the casino owner TJM Companies and waterpark developer Endeavor fell through by January 2016 when Endeavor failed to come up enough funds for the project.

Today, the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel is back on the market, with TJM Companies accepting offers.

Not all is lost in Atlantic City, however. Just days before the Trump Taj Mahal announcement, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced it had inked a deal with MGM Resorts Luxury Destination. MGM officially acquired the Borgata and its 2,100 hotel rooms, 160,000 square feet of gaming space, retail, and restaurants for $900 million.

What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Nc

Trump Taj Mahal is a casino that has a long and storied history. At one point in time, it was not only the crown jewel of East Coast gambling, but also one of the most popular casinos in the whole world. The casino bearing the name of Donald Trump opened with an extravagant party, befitting of the Trump mantra that everyone would come to know. Performers like Michael Jackson attended the grand opening, and it seemed like Taj Mahal Atlantic City was going to be an unstoppable force. In reality, Atlantic City was nowhere near its peak (that would be reached in 2006), and Trump did not have the proper wherewithal to run an efficient casino. A long and troubled history over the past few decades will end with a final nail in the coffin this September.

Troubles Through the Years

Financial and operational struggles have been just about the only thing consistent in the history of Taj Mahal AC. Just a year after its opening in 1990, Trump was forced to enter into a prepackaged bankruptcy where he would be forced to give away half of his entire stake in the casino. It was five years after this move that Trump would eventually buy the property outright. At this time in 1996, its value was under $1billion, but the reality is that this was likely a high number, even in the booming times of Atlantic City in the 90’s and early 2000’s.

Peak and Downfall

During the early 2000’s, Atlantic City was seeing tremendous gaming revenue and visitor numbers. These numbers were so large that Taj actually expanded its presence by adding an entirely new tower, known as The Chairman Tower, in 2006. Fittingly, 2006 would also be the best year that AC would experience in its history. After this, however, everything began to go downhill, both in AC and especially with Taj Mahal itself.

The Borgata was the worst thing that has happened to Taj Mahal in the last decade. The new, much more luxurious and modern, casino opened off the Atlantic City boardwalk in 2003. Much of Taj’s casino action went to The Borgata over the next few years. Taj Mahal was once known as the poker room capital of the East Coast, but this title quickly shifted to The Borgata. There were more games running, more space, nicer tables, and a higher end atmosphere. At one point featured in movies, Taj Mahal’s poker room went from being the premier in the East Coast to outright closed by 2014.

What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Hall

When the majority of their poker action left, so too did many of their gamblers and visitors. There was little benefit to staying at or coming to Taj Mahal if a tourist could instead stay at The Borgata. Outside of being on the boardwalk itself, Taj Mahal did not have many selling points.

By 2014, Taj Mahal would enter its first round of bankruptcy. As has been the case in each bankruptcy instance, the dispute was between Taj management (now operated by Tropicana), and their employee unions. The bankruptcy would go back and forth from pending closure to promises of a prosperous future. By early 2016, things were looking up at Taj Mahal, as its primary backer (Icahn Enterprises) led the company out of bankruptcy. The good news did not last for long, however.

What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Md

Icahn and Taj Mahal Closing

Carl Icahn was said to be the savior of Taj Mahal, When the city and investors had effectively given up on the property, Icahn agreed to put a virtually endless supply of money into the Taj Mahal in the hopes of returning it to its former glory. This process started in late 2014, and it will conclude in September 2016. Multiple on site changes took place (closing The Chairman Tower being one of them), but not nearly enough was done, and the casino continued to bleed money. Carl Icahn says that he has lost around $100 million in his efforts to revive the Taj Mahal. In our opinion, not nearly enough was done to encourage a real turnaround for the casino, and as a result the final end is now in sight.

Future of Taj Mahal and Atlantic City Closed Casinos

What Happened To The Taj Mahal Casino In Atlantic City Boardwalk

In the past several years, Atlantic City has seen a number of casino closures, including Trump Plaza, Showboat, Revel and AC Hilton. The closure of Taj Mahal will mean another several thousand employees will lose their jobs, and another large vacant building will take up space on the AC boardwalk. Eyesore aside, it is certainly a sign of the times. AC has fallen well behind the competition, both in Las Vegas and among its nearby competition in Philadelphia, Maryland and other cities. While it is not impossible for the Taj Mahal to once again be saved at the last minute, this time it looks more improbable than ever.