First, we would be egregiously remiss if we didn't properly thank Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Atlantic City designer, Paul Steelman for making this walk down memory lane possible.

Paul Steelman is one of the most prolific and respected casino designers in the world.

Paul Steelman & Joel Bergman - Designer & Architect - Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Paul Steelman & Joel Bergman - Designer & Architect - Golden Nugget Casino Hotel Atlantic City
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Paul provided us with truly iconic images of the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, taken at various stages during its construction from more than 40 years ago.

Immediately below this article, is a gallery of 30 photos provided to us by Steelman, with his permission granted to publish them in this exclusive coverage.

Many of these photos have never been seen before.

I'm also pleased to report that in a second part, we will be publishing actual design drawings that are incredible to see the intricate attention to detail taken during the construction of the Southernmost located casino in Atlantic City.

Steelman will also be getting us additional photos that we will share with you at a later date. Additionally, I also have my own album of about 20 high-quality professional 8 x 10 photos of the opulent spa and salon that Chuck Malamut, Joel Bergman, Paul Steelman designed. These photos of mine were taken in 1987 and we'll also be publishing them in the near future.

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Forty years ago, there were no real computers to help do the kind of work that Joel Bergman, Henry Conversano (he's pictured below in the photo gallery), and Paul Steelman did in designing and building The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. They utilized exceptional human talents to build (what was then) the most profitable casino in the history of the world.

The property was on the smaller side. It couldn't operate as a volume grind joint. It had to focus on a high-end philosophy.

Special events were born at The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. An event would be wrapped around Frank Sinatra, a major boxing fight, the wedding of Vic Damone and Diahann Carroll, who were married at The Golden Nugget in Atlantic City.

Special events at The Golden Nugget were special and almost always very profitable.

This is the closest that I have ever come to opening a time capsule.

Today, we think nothing about having a photo of any and everything. The camera is in our pocket at all times.

Think back to 1980, to take a photo you needed a separate camera, you needed a roll of film, you had to get the film developed. Sometimes the photos didn't turn out right and you missed that special moment. It was lost forever.

That's what makes the photo gallery below so very special. These are photos that most people have never seen.

I think it is so cool that we can share this experience together. We can view more than 40-year-old photos for the very first time. This almost never happens in life.

The 1980s was a very special decade in the history of Atlantic City. It was a magical time. It seemed like the streets were paved in gold. The Atlantic City casinos were making money hand over fist. They reinvested heavily in their properties, and, it seemed like a new casino was opening every year ... because they were.

Please join us and take this special walk down memory lane and enjoy the photo gallery directly below.

An Exclusive Look Back at the Golden Nugget, Atlantic City from 1980

Gallery Credit: Harry Hurley

Steel Pier

Gallery Credit: Harry Hurley

 

 

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