Asbury Park, My Kind of Town
A brief (extremely so) history of New Jersey's own Ghost Town:
Asbury Park, NJ was established in the late 1800's as a residential town. With the turn of the century came a change of the atmosphere and large elegant nautically themed art deco buildings began to spring up. Amongst these buildings were the Convention hall, the Casino and the Casino's adjoining carousel house.
Asbury took a downturn, as did the rest of the country, during the great depression and both world wars, however it made a bit of a comeback soon afterwards and proudly marched on through the middle of the century going on to build the grand Palace Amusements, home to Asbury's ever grinning mascot, Tillie.
The 1970's saw the founding of the legendary Stone Pony, where musicians like Bruce Springsteen got their start. The 1970's also saw rioting and the beginning of the end for the glory days of this century old seaside town.
Municipal mismanagement and a sharp decline in tourism throughout the 1980's and 1990's put an apparent end to Asbury Park. The Palace Amusements closed it's doors in 1988 and never reopened them. Businesses closed and residents left as buildings were torn down and new construction began, but was left half finished. Asbury became a New Jersey Ghost town.
The future of Asbury seemed incredibly bleak when the city tore down the Palace in 2004, but it seems to be back on an upswing, with the boardwalk and it's landmark buildings beginning to be restored.
While the days of whimsy and carnivals seem to be dying off, I can only hope Asbury will continue live on in one shape or another.
The Carousel Building, which is covered in tiny lightbulb tubes and intricate details, such as winged horses (What's the plural of pegasus anyway?) and neptune's face.
The Gorgon's head that adorns each doorway of the carousel building.
The Casino's Boiler House. Such a beautiful structure for such a mundane task. This place also has many metal details adorning it.
The Casino from the boardwalk entrance. It's lost some weight in the past few years, with the demolition of about half the building. I wish we had gone on a slow weekday, to get a good shot of the building from the front, without all the people...
Casino, I see you are no longer boarded up. Since we last met you've lost your "Greetings from Asbury Park" banner and your last remaining Hippocamp. (those strange empty spots around the top used to be home to some glorious hippocamps)
The Casino is under construction. They put these huge murals in to keep people out of the construction zone. I really liked them next to the decaying art deco details inside the building. Hope they keep architectural gems like this frame in tact.
Anyone know what the deal with this is? Last I was at Asbury this didn't exist. I can only assume from the fact that these are all oversized watering devices that this was a waterpark that never opened.
Madam Marie's, a boardwalk staple!
The Convention Hall, which sits at the opposite end of the board walk from the Casino.
Hippocamp! <3
Back of the convention hall, from the still run-down side of the boardwalk. Evidence of restoration in the forms of scaffolding. I'm pleased.
Shops are all long closed.
Corner of Ocean Ave and the Boardwalk.
The famous and tasty Wonderbar.
There's a new(er) Tillie in town. When the Casino was torn down the Tillies who had watched over the city for half a century went with it. The Wonderbar keeps the Asbury icon alive.
The Stone Pony. No, I have never seen the Boss here. Or anywhere for that matter.
Ocean Ave. The other side of these buildings is on the boardwalk and are updated. I like the divey feel of Ocean Ave and remember when most of Asbury looked like it.
I should find and put up the photos I took a few years ago when I was in town for a show. The boardwalk is much transformed.
Asbury Park, NJ was established in the late 1800's as a residential town. With the turn of the century came a change of the atmosphere and large elegant nautically themed art deco buildings began to spring up. Amongst these buildings were the Convention hall, the Casino and the Casino's adjoining carousel house.
Asbury took a downturn, as did the rest of the country, during the great depression and both world wars, however it made a bit of a comeback soon afterwards and proudly marched on through the middle of the century going on to build the grand Palace Amusements, home to Asbury's ever grinning mascot, Tillie.
The 1970's saw the founding of the legendary Stone Pony, where musicians like Bruce Springsteen got their start. The 1970's also saw rioting and the beginning of the end for the glory days of this century old seaside town.
Municipal mismanagement and a sharp decline in tourism throughout the 1980's and 1990's put an apparent end to Asbury Park. The Palace Amusements closed it's doors in 1988 and never reopened them. Businesses closed and residents left as buildings were torn down and new construction began, but was left half finished. Asbury became a New Jersey Ghost town.
The future of Asbury seemed incredibly bleak when the city tore down the Palace in 2004, but it seems to be back on an upswing, with the boardwalk and it's landmark buildings beginning to be restored.
While the days of whimsy and carnivals seem to be dying off, I can only hope Asbury will continue live on in one shape or another.
The Carousel Building, which is covered in tiny lightbulb tubes and intricate details, such as winged horses (What's the plural of pegasus anyway?) and neptune's face.
The Gorgon's head that adorns each doorway of the carousel building.
The Casino's Boiler House. Such a beautiful structure for such a mundane task. This place also has many metal details adorning it.
The Casino from the boardwalk entrance. It's lost some weight in the past few years, with the demolition of about half the building. I wish we had gone on a slow weekday, to get a good shot of the building from the front, without all the people...
Casino, I see you are no longer boarded up. Since we last met you've lost your "Greetings from Asbury Park" banner and your last remaining Hippocamp. (those strange empty spots around the top used to be home to some glorious hippocamps)
The Casino is under construction. They put these huge murals in to keep people out of the construction zone. I really liked them next to the decaying art deco details inside the building. Hope they keep architectural gems like this frame in tact.
Anyone know what the deal with this is? Last I was at Asbury this didn't exist. I can only assume from the fact that these are all oversized watering devices that this was a waterpark that never opened.
Madam Marie's, a boardwalk staple!
The Convention Hall, which sits at the opposite end of the board walk from the Casino.
Hippocamp! <3
Back of the convention hall, from the still run-down side of the boardwalk. Evidence of restoration in the forms of scaffolding. I'm pleased.
Shops are all long closed.
Corner of Ocean Ave and the Boardwalk.
The famous and tasty Wonderbar.
There's a new(er) Tillie in town. When the Casino was torn down the Tillies who had watched over the city for half a century went with it. The Wonderbar keeps the Asbury icon alive.
The Stone Pony. No, I have never seen the Boss here. Or anywhere for that matter.
Ocean Ave. The other side of these buildings is on the boardwalk and are updated. I like the divey feel of Ocean Ave and remember when most of Asbury looked like it.
I should find and put up the photos I took a few years ago when I was in town for a show. The boardwalk is much transformed.