But that's changed, thanks to a $60 million investment byBally's parent, Harrah's Entertainment. Part of that investmentwent to demolishing a retail strip that blocked the hotel from theboardwalk, and replacing it with a grassy courtyard.

"It was the right thing to do, to bring the center boardwalktogether [with the hotel]," says a Bally's spokesman, in astatement. "It says a lot about the company in terms of theinvestment [Harrah's] was willing to make, back into our product inthe Atlantic City market."

Much of that $60 million, in fact, was spent taking thehalf-acre site occupied by the retail strip back into the Bally'sfold. Altogether, more than $38 million was spent to buy theproperty, occupied by souvenir shops, a buffet, a fortuneteller andthe like, from the locally based Schiff family, and to demolish theretail building. The remainder was spent on restoring the DennisFrench chateau-style façade and renovate its guest rooms, accordingto Bally's officials.