How the Atlantic City Boardwalk Was Built

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HBO’s Boardwalk Empire is among the most intriguing titles in this Fall’s TV Lineup. Since the show fast-forwards to 1920 Atlantic City, it’s important to have a historical understanding of how the so-called empire came to be. Developed just 40 years prior to the show’s premier, Atlantic City underwent a rapid growth phase, the construction of its then-unique boardwalk was a major component of the city’s story. What follows is the story of the boardwalk.

As hotels and boardinghouses (rented out rooms in people’s houses or giant no-frills hotels) sprung up in Atlantic City, the owners claimed about people trudging sand through their lobbies and rooms. Imagine having a carpet or couch accumulate sand and not having a vacuum cleaner! Of course this had been a problem for full-time residents, but they had incentive to brush the sand off outside, so as to not have to deal with sand inside later on. Further, train operators had the same problem of customers dragging sand into the rail cars.

The solution was to build a boardwalk, where people could walk on after the beach and the sand could fall off naturally. More importantly, a boardwalk would actually prevent visitors from walking on the beach, since people generally prefer being sand-free. One could walk on the boardwalk and be close enough to the water to appreciate it. The first boardwalk, constructed in the 1870s, was simply wooden boards laid atop the sand. When local politicians saw how much people enjoyed the boardwalk concept and its commercial potential, an elevated structure was constructed. In time, the boardwalk became a major component of Atlantic City life. Tourists bought played games, purchased trinkets, as well as food and drink. The low unit price of entertainment meant people of modest means were welcome.

A commercial boardwalk was unique to Atlantic City at the time. Eventually, the concept was extended out to piers, jutting out into the ocean and giving patrons a unique sense of hovering over the water. It was such a profitable venture, that one of the pier magnates, John Young, constructed a mansion that sat at the end of the pier. Eventually it washed into the ocean, but the boardwalk of Atlantic City remains strong to this day.

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