Hard Rock Atlantic City submitted its plans for its casino signage to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and let’s just say the message is on-point.
According to the property’s filing documents, which are available on the CRDA’s website, Hard Rock is planning to build a massive Les Paul Gibson guitar with the classic sunburst color and “Hard Rock Hotel and Casino” emblazoned across the guitar’s body.
The guitar will be placed at the entrance to the casino’s vehicle turnaround (porte-cochere) at the end of Virginia Avenue. According to plans the casino submitted to the CRDA on Feb. 23, SOSH Architects, a Philadelphia-based firm, is providing five designs.
Hard Rock guitar will be more than 50 feet tall
On Feb. 26, Press of Atlantic City reporter Nicholas Huba posted on Twitter a photo of the architect’s plans for the guitar, which serves as the centerpiece of the hotel’s entrance and the seminal signage for the entire property.
The photo he posted, which was not available in the package of paperwork made available through the CRDA, depicts three drawings of the massive guitar.
Here’s what we know based on these drawings:
- It will stand 53-feet high.
- Width is 17 feet and 3/4 inches.
- Depth is more than 4 feet.
- Hard Rock logo will be more than 8 feet high and approximately 15 feet wide.
The massive guitar signage isn’t exclusive to Hard Rock’s Atlantic City location. It’s a signature piece at many of their properties: Las Vegas, Bali, Biloxi and Tampa, to name a few.
Hard Rock AC’s growing momentum
Over the past year, Hard Rock AC has been a crucial catalyst in the Atlantic City renaissance.
The announcement of Hard Rock International’s purchase of the Trump Taj Mahal exorcised the dispute-ridden demons of the property’s recent history. In doing so, the property provided a glimmer of progress for a city mired in financial woes and cantankerous casino owners. Plus, there are those lingering questions about how deeply the 2014 casino contraction wounded the industry.
One recent bit of news is indicative of the renewal Hard Rock International is bringing back to the city.
Earlier this year, Hard Rock announced it would welcome workers from UNITE HERE Local 54, the union whose workers went on strike in July 2016 after Trump Taj Mahal owner Carl Icahn refused to add key benefits to its employees’ benefits packages.
The strike siphoned away money from the property’s coffers and credibility away from Icahn, who decided to close the casino-hotel’s doors in October 2016.
The closure left hundreds of people out of work. However, this past February, union leader Bob McDevitt was pleased to announce that Hard Rock was happy to hire Local 54 workers.
“Dealing with the management of Hard Rock has been an absolute pleasure so far,” McDevitt was quoted as saying in a Press of Atlantic City article. “They understand how the Atlantic City market works.”
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Summer opening still on schedule for Hard Rock AC
At the time of publishing, there was no indication that the casino’s plans to open this summer have deviated. The property plans to meet with the CRDA on March 15 to seek a variance for its sign.
So far as we know, the $500 million renovation projection will be completed in time for the summer deadline.
When it opens, Hard Rock AC will, according to its owners, provide 3,000 permanent positions. The renovation project employed 1,000 temporary workers.
Ocean Resort Casino adds signage, too
Hard Rock wasn’t the only new property making signage news, however. Ocean Resort Casino added its logo to the facade of the property formerly known as Revel.
ORC is scheduled to open this summer as well. The tandem openings are a punctuation mark on the city’s rebirth and could be one of the most exciting summers in Atlantic City in a decade.