
A.C. church with ‘Boardwalk Empire’ connection becoming weed shop
This is a story that starts almost a century and a half ago.
In Atlantic City on a street corner stands an old, abandoned building that served as Victory First Presbyterian Deliverance Church. It was damaged in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy and never really came back. The congregation found a new place in 2018 and it has sat abandoned since.
It also served as a soup kitchen for a time. Back in 1885, it was originally owned by and operated as First Presbyterian Church of Atlantic City.
You probably have a better shot of knowing the name Enoch “Nucky” Johnson than you do this church. That was the real-life political boss and mobster that the TV show “Boardwalk Empire” drew off. The critically acclaimed HBO series had Steve Buscemi play Nucky Johnson.
The real Johnson had a strong connection to this now-abandoned church. He was married in this very church one day before reporting to prison for tax evasion. Nucky Johnson, then 58, married Florence Osbeck, 33, on July 30, 1941. It was his second marriage.
The rich history of this Atlantic City church takes another turn soon as the property where the abandoned church building sits is now becoming a marijuana dispensary. Plans are in the works for a complete demolition.
Sitting not far from Hard Rock, the old church has become an eyesore. Windows are shattered and its roof is damaged. There are asbestos issues, damaged floors and past fires set by squatters, according to nj.com.
One city board member who inquired was assured the structure was not officially designated a historic site. So away it will go. While demolition plans are not yet officially filed word is it’s expected the weed dispensary Pure Genesis will be up and running sometime next year.
Plans call for the construction of a two-story building that will have a consumption area and bring over 50 jobs to Atlantic City. Pure Genesis is eyeing a seven-day-a-week operation.
I’d have to imagine if Nucky Johnson were around he’d be wanting a piece of that.
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