Old Casino Building Asbury Park Nj
- Feb 11, 2019 “Since 2007-2008 when Madison Marquette initiated the redevelopment of the Asbury Park Boardwalk, Madison Marquette has replaced the roofs of the Paramount Theatre, Casino and Carousel building-and in the years that have followed, conducted extensive structural exploratory work and stabilization of the Casino (both pre and post Sandy), Convention Hall, Paramount Theatre and pavilions.
- Palace Amusements opened in 1888 as a classic Victorian pavilion. Its main attraction was a carousel, with hand-carved wooden horses, giraffes, camels, goats and deer.In 1895, the building was expanded to include a unique steam powered Ferris Wheel.
“The Glad to See You” Tower. By Paul Goldfinger © The Casino is in the center of the photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
We’ve all walked by that peculiar-looking building on the left side of our photo above, adjacent to the Casino in Asbury Park, at the Ocean Grove North End.
From the Kinolibrary Archive Film collections. To order the clip clean and high res or to find out more visit Clip ref. Asbury Park's Convention Hall and Paramount Theater are joined by an arcade that spans the width of the boardwalk. Like the Casino, it was designed in the 1920s by the same architects behind NYC's Grand Central Station.
Many of us wondered what that is/was. I’ve never heard a clear explanation until now upon reading a wonderful account, with photos, by Marlo Montanaro, a Jersey Shore photographer, who posted a piece on his blog called “The Monolith of Asbury Park.”
Marlo was able to get information and access inside of that mysterious place. He succinctly refers to it as “the steam power plant,” a name known to many old-timers in this part of the Jersey Shore.
The central tower, seen from the roof. By Marlo Montanaro ©
The steam plant was built in 1930 in order to provide heat to boardwalk attractions so that Asbury Park could compete year-round for recreational business. It was designed by Warren and Wetmore from New York City who were responsible for other Beaux Arts structures nearby, including the Casino, Convention Hall, Paramount Theatre, and the Berkeley Carteret Hotel to the north.
Inside were three huge boilers that used oil to create steam for heat. The heat was pumped through pipes to the various buildings. Water may have been obtained from Wesley Lake or even dumped into the Lake. There is no information as to the success of the project, but evidently it wasn’t used once WWII occurred.
Dramatic photograph inside the steam power plant, by Marlo Montanaro. © You can see more of these wonderful images by clicking on his link below. Marlo’s photos posted here with his permission.
Since then it has stood as a monument of sorts to a utility that lost its purpose over 70 years ago. In the late c. 1960’s we have a photo of Bruce Springsteen, another Asbury icon, standing north of the tower.
“Young Bruce” at the north end of the Asbury boards. Photo by Emil Salvini.
In 2003, a developer wanted to move the Stone Pony into that steam building, but, of course, that did not occur thanks to a lot of noise by the Cousin Brucie rock ‘n roll crowd.
The most original recent contribution to the known history of the steam power plant are the evocative interior photographs that Marlo Montanaro posted last April with his detailed review of the subject.
Here is what he said about the enigmas that remain, “There are still mysteries here- what it really looked like when she was new… the men that worked here, what 1930 was really like… I can picture dark smoke and steam spewing from the top, the noises of banging steam pipes, and loud oil-fueled fires heating huge tanks of water, the smell of burning oil- steam power is a living, breathing thing. I can see some of the workmen taking a break, looking out over Wesley Lake as families took a ride on the paddle boats, while they toiled in a hot, nasty environment wearing soot-covered overalls. I wish I could have seen her in all her glory. But I can only imagine.”
Below are two links to Marlo’s blogposts dated April, 2014. Thanks to Joel of OG for tipping us off to the Marlo post.
JANE LANIER from the album Fosse. It is from the 1954 Broadway musical “The Pajama Game.”
https://blogfinger.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/07-steam-heat.mp3| Location | Asbury Park, NJ |
|---|---|
| Theme | Indoor amusement park |
| Owner | Ernest Schnitzler (1888–1920) August Williams (1920–1939) Edward Lange & Zimel Resnick (1939–1986) Sam & Henry Vaccaro (1986–1988) |
| Opened | August 17, 1888 |
| Closed | November 27, 1988 |
| Previous names | Palace Merry-Go-Round |
| Area | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 12 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
| Water rides | 1 |
| Status | Removed |
| Location | Asbury Park, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°13′4″N74°0′12.76″W / 40.21778°N 74.0035444°WCoordinates: 40°13′4″N74°0′12.76″W / 40.21778°N 74.0035444°W |
| Built | June 1888 |
| Built by | Ernest Schnitzler |
| Architect | Ernest Schnitzler William B. Stout |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Demolished | May 26, 2004 |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001406[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 3705[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 22, 2000 |
| Designated NJRHP | October 12, 2000 |
Palace Amusements was a historical indoor amusement park in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The park was built in 1888 and expanded several times over its history, but after a worsening economic situation in both Asbury and the country in the mid-1980s, the park closed in 1988.
Several efforts were made to save the structure, including its hand-carved carousel, murals and decorations, but in 2004, after an independent structural inspection, the building was deemed unsafe (and already damaged in several areas) and was ordered demolished. A local grassroots organization was able to save several pieces from the building, including the famed Tillie mural.
In popular culture[edit]
Asbury Park Nj Weather
The Palace is mentioned in 1974 Bruce Springsteen hit 'Born to Run' in the lines 'Beyond the palace, hemi-powered drones / Scream down the boulevard'[3].
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'National Register of Historic Places Registration Form'(PDF). National Park Service. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^'Palace Amusements Building (ID#3705)'(PDF). New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County. NJ DEP Historic Preservation Office. p. 2. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^https://genius.com/2115435
External links[edit]
Old Casino Building Asbury Park Nj Tax Collector
Media related to Palace Amusements at Wikimedia Commons