In the days when Atlantic City was known as the Nation’s Playground, the Ritz-Carlton was party central. New York's Mayor Jimmy Walker favored the Ritz, as did author Bruce Barton, actor Eddie Cantor, and singer Sophie Tucker. Metropolitan opera star Lawrence Tibbett serenaded Boardwalk audiences by belting arias from his beachfront suite. Harding, and Herbert Hoover were guests. Entertainers Bing
Crosby and Milton Berle performed in the Ritz Carlton Terrace. In 1926, Irving Berlin and Ellin Mackay, heir to the Atlantic Cable fortune, secretly married against the wishes of their families. The newlyweds hid out in the honeymoon suite at the Ritz-Carlton but were soon besieged by the press. The Berlins faced the armies of reporters and declared themselves happy and without regrets. Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, Treasurer of Atlantic County, ruled the rackets and the Republican Party in Atlantic City. Home base was the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Nucky was often referred to as the Czar of the Ritz. He leased the entire ninth floor, where it was said he kept one closet stuffed with cash. The city became neutral ground for mobsters throughout the country as long as they paid tribute to Johnson for his protection. Atlantic City became a safe haven for rest and relaxation between mob hits. This was so much the case that kingpin, Myer Lansky, spent his honeymoon in the Ritz's Presidential suite. Lucky Luciano orchestrated the first national convention of organized crime, held in May of 1929, in Atlantic City. The three day national convention included numerous crime figures, including Johnson, Lansky, Dutch Schultz and "Scarface" Al Capone. The gangsters gathered at Atlantic City's Ambassador Hotel sought to find ways to end their bloody wars and coordinate their national racketeering activities. Nucky installed Al Capone and other crime lords in suites at the Ritz and at the nearby President Hotel, spiking the ambience with a generous supply of bootlegged liquor and female companions. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel was beauty headquarters for the 30 young women competing for the crown in the 8th Miss America pageant held in 1933. The girls donned their bathing suits and gathered on the hotel lawn where the official photographs were taken. They were rolled down the Boardwalk in chairs to and from the headquarters at the Ritz to the Convention Hall (now Boardwalk Hall). Marion Bergeron, Miss Connecticut, won the Pageant title of "Miss America". She was 15 years old, the Pageant’s youngest winner. During World War II the hotel served the armed forces as an integral part of Camp Boardwalk. Starting in 1942, the hotel, along with its fellow beachfront hotels, served as a military barracks for soldiers in training and recuperation. The Army Air Force had commandeered the town for training of members of the Army Air Corps. An estimated 30,000 new recruits arrived each moth. Eventually about one-half million servicemen trained in the city. A plaque on the front of Boardwalk Hall commemorates Camp Boardwalk as Atlantic City’s finest hour. In the late 1950s the property changed ownership and was renamed “The Ritz-Carlton Motor Hotel”. The 1950s and 60s brought budget-conscious motels to the Boardwalk, while expanding air travel ushered many vacationers to distant destinations. Atlantic City and its palaces had aged. In 1958, giant hotelier Sheraton purchased the Ritz-Carlton for just $4.25 million. This was less than the original cost of the property. In the late 1960s, The Sheraton Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Atlantic City, was purchased by renowned builder A.P. Orleans. After renovations were complete, the Ritz-Carlton was termed an “Apartment Hotel”. The first Miss Black America pageant was staged by the NAACP at the Ritz-Carlton in 1968. The contest was set for midnight in the hopes that newsmen covering the Miss America pageant in Convention Hall would drop in. Many of them did. Sandra Williams, a 19 year old Philadelphian, became the first Black Miss America. She was chosen over seven other contestants. While the Miss America finalists stayed out of sight in the afternoon, reportedly primping for their show in Convention Hall, the eight Miss Black America finalists were out on the town acting like beauty queens. They rode in open convertibles from the Ritz-Carlton past the Convention Hall, around the business district and on into the Black community. They were cheered everywhere. The Pageant went national in 1969 and was moved from Atlantic City to New York City’s Madison Square Garden. In 1980, Ritz-Carlton Associates acquired The Ritz-Carlton Apartment Hotel and officially closed and vacated the property. Residents who resided there on a full-time basis needed to relocate during the conversion process and were offered first selection of the new “Condominium Units”. In 1982 Ritz-Carlton Associates received official approval to operate the condominium association termed, The Ritz-Carlton, a Condominium. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Corporation objected to the Association’s use of The Ritz-Carlton name by a condominium. The Association was paid by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Corp. not to use the Ritz-Carlton trademarked name. Hence, the Ritz Condominiums were born. The Beaux Arts building was designed by prominent New York architectural firm Warren and Wetmore, who designed Grand Central Terminal. Many elements from the original lobby are still in place: black-and-white tiled floors, marble walls, Art Deco lamps and sconces, and intricate raised plaster molding. An old fashioned brass letter box is in full service. The regal red carpeted grand staircase and grand ballroom with its massive fireplace and crystal chandeliers are still in use. A new Boardwalk facade was completed in September 2010. The architect was Lamely and Giorgio Architects. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) Facade Program provided the $500,000 plus improvements. The architect did a great job to capture the historical period of the Ritz. A historical plaque donated by the Special Improvement District is now permanently mounted on the column next to the boardwalk entrance. Everyday you see many people reading about the history of the Ritz which includes mention of Nucky Johnson, our most notorious past resident and the central character in the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire”. The Ritz “Our Grand Old Lady of the Boardwalk” has graced the Atlantic City skyline for 90 years. It recently received a Certificate of Eligibility from the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office providing the opinion that the Ritz is eligible for listing on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
