Exclusive | Famed Jersey Shore pier lists for $85M in rare opportunity: offers the chance to own the Atlantic itself

Atlantic City’s famed Steel Pier is hitting the market for $85 million — offering the supremely rare chance to buy an operating amusement park perched over the Atlantic Ocean, along with rights to build even farther out to sea.The historic attraction, directly across the boardwalk from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, spans roughly 5.2 acres and is being listed by Ryan Serhant, Michele Zyska, and Kevin Bergin of Serhant.Today, the nearly 1,000-foot-long pier remains a classic Jersey Shore amusement park, with a towering Ferris wheel, rides, games and food — plus the unusual perk of a built-in helipad.But beneath the carnival attractions is a unique piece of developable real estate.The existing pier measures 150 feet wide and 965 feet long, while a perpetual riparian grant permits it to extend as far as 2,850 feet into the Atlantic.“How often does someone get to own a piece of the ocean? That’s exactly what this offers,” Serhant said in a statement announcing the listing.“The Steel Pier isn’t just 5 acres on the most famous boardwalk in the world, it actually offers the chance to own the Atlantic itself and build something unforgettable on top of it,” he added.Speaking separately with The Post, Serhant called it “developable American history that extends straight into the Atlantic Ocean.”And there is plenty of history.Constructed in 1897 and opened in 1898, Steel Pier was once billed as the “Showplace of the Nation,” stretching nearly 2,300 feet at its historic peak.It has since appeared in films including “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and “The Bounty Hunter,” as well as television productions including “Cake Boss.”The pier was rebuilt with steel-reinforced concrete in the late 1980s and is anchored roughly 90 feet into bedrock, remaining intact through Superstorm Sandy, according to listing materials.For the Catanoso family, the sale would mark the end of a decades-long run at Steel Pier.The longtime South Jersey amusement operato...