Broadway: Ready for Business
Legendary Road Awaits New Vision
Broadway
First mapped in 1835, first paved in 1891, Broadway was where Long Branch conducted commerce. The Slocum family is credited with developing the old Indian route — part of the Minisink Trail — into a passable wagon road.
In 1734 the first entity in Long Branch, an Indian fishery, was established on lower Broadway. Michael Maps and Richard Wyckoff opened the first general store on Broadway in 1812. The Long Branch Commission acquired Broadway in February 1874 for about $1,800. Historically, the road has been called: Fish Path, Eatontown & Long Branch Turnpike, Broadway Turnpike, Main Street and Chelsea Road.
During Broadway’s glory business times, Jacob Steinbach and his grand department store ruled the street, there were several hotels, banks and drugstores, a dozen clothing stores, two theaters brought historic innovation and star power, there were numerous places to eat and grocery shop, you could buy a car on Broadway (the street had 10 auto dealers in 1957), and City Hall and the city library were just up the road.
Once a bustling and vibrant avenue that served as the city’s main hub of commerce and connection for over a century, Broadway played a crucial role in shaping the identity and economic growth of Long Branch.
“Commerce changes the fate and genius of nations.”
—Thomas Gray
In sad decline for too long, today most of lower Broadway building-wise has been removed from existence. Leveled flat in 2018. The foot of Broadway is basically an empty canvas. Just waiting for someone with vision and deep pockets to take hold and recreate. This once majestic but now neglected part of the city needs that plan and that person. Now, more than ever. The images of Broadway presented here — pages from city history — must serve to inspire people and plans. The “New Broadway” project is something to be encouraged about.
According to public remarks at the October 2022 Long Branch City Council meeting, Jared Kushner (former President Trump’s son-in-law) acquired the Broadway corridor property for $22 million. That could work. The savvy billionaire real-estate investor already owns the city’s Pier Village and is the process of remaking Monmouth Mall in Eatontown (which he acquired in 2021). Some early development plans for the 11-acre Broadway site (more focused on residential) have been approved by the city.
In good times, Broadway represented the city at its pinnacle. A point of major coastal commerce with all sorts of businesses. Land where Long Branch “Entertained a Nation.” That’s a lot to live up to. “Redeveloping” this neighborhood was never going to be an easy job. A neat residential-commercial mix is probably what’s needed — Long Branch has a rich history of mixing. And Broadway still has grit — only its lost stature awaits return.
The following photo essay recalls and hopes for a new birth for Broadway:
Broadway looking east, 1908.
Broadway looking east, 1955.
Way Back — from Broadway and Third Avenue looking east, 1912.
Broadway postcard, 1915.
Broadway postcard, early 1900s.
Broadway looking east, 1907.
Broadway, 1970s.
Long Branch Casino Annex (then Tory’s Restaurant), 1920s.
Reformed Dutch Church on Broadway, 1919. The Long Branch congregation dates to the late 1840s.
St Luke’s United Methodist Church on Broadway, 1920s. The original church was lost in a January 1893 fire. A new one costing $45,000 opened in 1894, designed by Poole & Sutton of Newark. MORE INFO.
Uptown Broadway near Bath and Norwood Avenues, 1920s.
Memorial Day services near city library, May 2023.
Vacant Lower Broadway buildings before demolition. 2017.
Long Branch Baking Company container. Founded in 1872 on Broadway, President US Grant was one of the first bank directors. It merged with several banks over the years. The building has been the city’s Arts & Cultural Center since 2019.
“St. James Church Parish-Hall and Rectory” on Broadway, Long Branch Daily Record, April 1912.
Paramount Theatre on Broadway, 1943.
Hot Spot — The old Phil Daly Hose Company #2 firehouse at Broadway and Second Avenue. First organized in April 1886, this city firehouse opened in September 1902 (replacing the 1887 original). Clarence W. Smith designed the $5,000 brick building. Charles N. White was company president for over 40 years. In 1968, the company moved to a new firehouse on Union Avenue, sharing with the Independent Engine & Truck Company, #2. The building fell in 2018 along with many surrounding Lower Broadway structures.
Steinbach’s Department Store on Broadway, 1908. Brothers, John and Jacob, opened the business in 1873.
Broadway at Liberty Street, Blizzard of 1888.
Long Branch Saloon on Lower Broadway, early 1980s. In the late 1970s, the place was a go-go bar known as the “Bottom-of-the-Barrel.” The block was “blighted” by the city in 1984. (Dan Hennessey Photo).
Long Branch Casino Annex in Ocean Park, 1909. The building at Ocean Avenue and Broadway went through many identities in its lifetime. Originally a section from the nation’s Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876. The structure was moved to Long Branch in 1877 probably by Richard J. Dobbins. It was torn down in 1945.
Long Branch Casino Annex, 1937.
Long Branch Casino Annex, 1907.
Long Branch Casino on Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
Homestead Pharmacy on Broadway, 1960s.
Andy’s Garage on Broadway, 1930s. Andrew Lustbaum — a pioneering city auto dealer and mechanic — started the business in 1908. He was also president of the NJ Auto Dealer’s Association and director of the local motor vehicle bureau. Born in Hungary, he died in August 1953.
Upper Broadway at Norwood Avenue, 1910. At left is the US Post Office and at right is the Dr. Chattle Monument.
US Post Office on Broadway in Long Branch, early 1900s. William W. Croxson was the first local postmaster from 1834 to 1846.
Dean of Long Branch Lawyers — Benjamin P. Morris, 1927, was considered the city’s leading attorney in his time. “Uncle Ben” is credited with bringing the first typewriter, telephone and law clerk to his Broadway law office (where he worked for over 25 years). He also served three terms as a Long Branch commissioner and a year as mayor in 1900. The Long Branch native (born in his father Jacob’s seashore hotel in 1857) and 50-year practicing lawyer died in February 1937.
Hispanic Hero — Dimas Montalvo outside his Lower Broadway barber shop, 2000s. Born poor in western Puerto Rico one of 15 children, he came to America in 1955. Starting as a barber at Fort Monmouth, he worked hard and saved his money — opening his first hair cut business on Broadway in 1964. He moved to a larger building in 1969; his shop also had a record store. The business closed shorty before the building was demolished in 2018. Considered a pillar of the city’s vibrant Latino community, Dimas passed away in January 2023.
Ask Larry — Old Siperstein’s Paint & Wallpaper store on Lower Broadway, 2012. Larry Katz started here in July 1962, greatly propersed and moved the business to Joline Avenue in 2005; operating today as Sip’s Ace Paint & Hardware. Larry died in March 2014.
5 Points Intersection — Second Avenue and Lower Broadway, 1901. The Columbia Hotel (r) was built in 1896 by Joseph H. Flanigan, a committeeman when Long Branch was part of Ocean Twp (he died in 1911). Later on it became the Landmark Hotel.
“5 Corners” — Lower Broadway, 1950s. According to a May 1905 Long Branch Daily Record story on the development of lower Broadway, the area was also called the “Triangle” and the “Bowery.”
“5 Corners” — Lower Broadway and Second Avenue, 1912. In the center is the Arcade Hotel — built in 1867 and wrecked in 1927; John H. Campbell was a longtime proprietor.
5 Corners Broadway, 1934. At left is Anastasia’s Pharmacy, opened in 1926; damaged by fire in July 1969. Relocated to 120 Broadway, the drug store closed in 1976. Owner, Amerigo A. “Doc” Anastasia, was a longtime city pharmacist and school board president. A graduate of the Columbia University College of Pharmacy, he had two city schools named for him. The city native died in May 1982.
5 Corners at Lower Broadway, 1950s.
Lower Broadway looking uptown, 1940s (NJ State Archives Photo).
Blank Slate — Lower Broadway, 2018. More than 50 dilapidated buildings were removed during 2017.
Landmark Lounge ad, 1963. It was part of the old Landmark Hotel.
Broadway in the evening, 1940s. Looking west.
Broadway near Liberty Street, early 1900s.
Broadway near Liberty Street, 1908.
Broadway at Third Avenue looking east, 1935. The Steinbach store closed in 1942 after 70 years in business. Vogel brothers (Abe, George, Herman, Morris) acquired the building and made improvements. The store reopened in November 1945 and operated on Broadway for 30 years.
Broadway looking west, 1909.
Hot Stuff — City Bakery on Broadway, 1931. Some city residents still rave about the quality of baked items from this long-gone Long Branch institution. Newark native Carl Elenberger started the business in 1924 and operated things until his death in December 1966. The store motto: “Buns are out backbone.”
Broadway looking east, 1958. City Bakery is visible to the left.
Broadway looking west, 1910.
Imperial Hotel on Broadway, 1909. Built for $22,000 by Prussian-born Berthold Sussman and Sons in 1898, the “all year around” hotel offered 25 rooms and a 100-seat restaurant/bar. Daily rates started at $1. Sussman died in Sept. 1911.
Rockwell Diner ad, 1940s. Originally part of the old Hotel Rockwell and Restaurant at Broadway and Rockwell Avenue that burned in February 1936. It re-opened at a new location with a new $18,000 steel diner in November 1941. Owners then were John Cittadino, Fenwick White and Louis Miller. The diner was moved to near the railroad depot on Third Avenue and became the Station Diner in May 1969. Later it was the called the Branch Coach Diner and Golden Coach Diner before closing in December 1985.
Rockwell Hotel new owner, March 1907. Isaac Stein was owner until 1921; he died in 1937. The business (it had been called Brunswick cottage) was started by Elwood Richardson in March 1892. It burned in 1936.
“Wilson’s Villa by the Sea” at Broadway and Ocean Avenue (aka, the Casino Annex), 1920s.
Auto Sale — Barron & Jarmon auto dealers on Broadway, 1940s. There was an age when selling cars in Long Branch was a big business. In 1927 the Long Branch Auto Dealers Association was formed with 15 independent members. By 1957 no less than 10 dealers were selling cars on Broadway. Including: Barron & Jarmon, Finn Buick, McFaddin Motors, Kitson Chevrolet, Jones Motors, Heimlich Motors, Kroll Motors, Ray Forshay, Inc., Towbin Lincoln-Mercury, Al Matlaw Motors, and F&J Motors.
Merry Christmas! — from Broadway in Long Branch, 1950s .
A&P Supermarket at Broadway and 5th Avenue. Long Branch Daily Record, June 1966. The store had just been renovated.
A&P Supermarket on Broadway at the time of its grand opening. Long Branch Daily Record, November 1949. The first “self-service” A&P Food Store to open on Broadway was in Sept. 1938.
Ocean Hotel, early 1900s. Located at the corner of Broadway and Ocean Avenue, it started as “Cooper’s House” in 1832. The hotel continued to grow and change identities: it was the National House, the Continental Hotel and finally in 1872, the Ocean Hotel. The largest hotel in the nation at the time, it closed in 1902. The city acquired the property in 1905 and turned it into Ocean Park and later Garfield Memorial Park. Today, the Ocean Place Resort & Spa holds the grounds.
Movie Heaven — Paramount Theater and Reade’s Strand Theater on Broadway, 1939.
F.W. Woolworth & Company building on Broadway, 1959. After 50 years of operations there, the “5¢ and 10¢ store” shut its doors in December 1959. Sol Grabelle, Ace Drug Store owner, bought the building (Long Branch Daily Record Photo).
Music from Ocean Park at Broadway and Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. In the background is the Lenox Hotel and note the amazing architecture across the street.
Steinbach’s Department Store on Broadway, 1936. The building stood until 1978.
Italian Pride — Long Branch Columbus Day parade on Broadway, October 2022. The first city parade to honor the Italian explorer took place in 1909. Rocco “Rocky” Bonforte, the city’s postmaster from 1963 to 1975, chaired the parade committee from 1952 to 1974. He was also a city cop and a commissioner. During the 1960s, according to US Census data, Italian-Americans were the city’s largest ethnicity.
Lapidus Decor on Broadway with owner Holly Lapidus, 2017. Her parents, Seymour and Ruth, started the business in 1946 first operating out of a jeep with trailer and moving to its current location in 1974. Holly joined the custom interior decorating business in 1982. Seymour, a Brooklyn native and US Army WW II vet, died in April 2008. Long Branch native Ruth passed away in 2015. MORE INFO.
Cy Barron Chrysler-Plymouth-Imperial auto dealership on Lower Broadway, 1963. Seymour “Cy” Barron was a pioneering auto dealer in Long Branch beginning in the late 1940s. The city native was a LBHS graduate and captain of its basketball team. He died in June 2012.
Long Branch Banking Company on Broadway, 1951. Opened in May 1873, William Maps was the first bank president. It later became a number of other banking-financial institutions over the years. In 2019, the building was donated to the city and is now the Long Branch Arts & Cultural Center and Office of Community & Economic Development. MORE INFO.
Booze & Bras on Broadway — Tucker’s Liquor Store ad. Long Branch Daily Record, December 1956. Harry Tucker started the Broadway business in December 1933 — becoming first in the city to receive a retail liquor license after the repeal of Prohibition. He came to Long Branch in 1916 starting with a clothing store which his wife and daughter (Ruth and Blanche) grew into a popular corset and lingerie shop — all in the same Lower Broadway building. Born in Russia, Harry died in October 1954. His son, Jerome (who earned two Bronze Stars for the US Navy in WW II and was 1959 city chamber of commerce president), later ran the liquor business. He died in 2015.
Broadway looking west, 1910s.
Tuttman Building at Broadway and Third Avenue redesign plans. Long Branch Daily Record, August 1948. James Mancuso was the architect and Charles Schulz was the contractor. The location previously held Liggett’s Drug Store.
Flooding at Five Corners on Broadway during a Nor’easter, December 1992
Broadway looking east, 1940s.
Broadway looking west, 1940s.
Broadway and Third Avenue looking east, 1920s.
Schneider’s Famous Tap Room ad, 1940s. Lithuanian-born Isidor “Izzy” Schneider started the Lower Broadway restaurant in 1933 — with just a bar and five tables — and grew it into a city landmark before selling in 1966. It all burned in 1992.
Vogel’s Department Store on Broadway sketch, Long Branch Daily Record, January 1947. Opened in Fall 1945, it was run by second generation furriers, Abe and George Vogel. Their father, Israel, had first opened a Broadway shore in 1918. The business shut in 1975 and the building burned in 1978.
Nick’s Bar on Broadway ad, 1947. Italian-born Nicholas Cittadino opened the business in the late 1920s (first as Norwood Restaurant & Deli) and ran it until his death in March 1953. Later his family and the Mazza family were owners and ran it up to the 1970s.
Broadway, 1910s.
Broadway, 1920s.
Broadway and Fifth Avenue, 1908.
Steincbach store on Broadway, 1908.
The “new” Long Branch Casino at Ocean Avenue and Broadway, August 1908.
Broadway looking east, 1949.
Broadway looking west, 1940s (NJ State Archives Photo).
Broadway, 1940s.
Original Caputo’s Pastry Shoppe at 31 South Broadway, 1970s. Joseph Caputo, Sr. started the business in June 1960. Born in Italy, he died in February 1974. The property was “blighted” by the city in 1985. Son Jack moved the business to Ursula Plaza in 1988 and grandson Joseph is the fifth generation family member to run the bakery (which all started in Brooklyn in 1923).
Lower Broadway in the morning, December 2019 (David Booth Photo).
Tarantolo’s Bakery on South Broadway, 1930s. Joseph and Mary Tarantolo started the business in June 1923. Born in Sicily, Joe retired in 1958 and passed away in October 1982. His son, Gerald, was a longtime Eatontown mayor. Frank Sorrentino, once a WLB mayor, also was an owner of the bakery.
Broadway looking east, 1910s.
Anthony Witek in his Garden State Grocery at Broadway and 5th Avenue, 1936. A city native and proud World War I Army vet, he died in February 1967.
Jackson’s Market on Broadway, 1936. One of the city’s oldest businesses was opened in 1876 by Lambert W. Jackson and later run by his son, Ellsworth and grandson, Lambert K — who retired in December 1951. It would become the late great Freddie’s Pizzeria.
Perry’s Bowling Center on Broadway. Long Branch Daily Record, October 1941.
Bell Liquors on Broadway, 2019. Martin Becker opened his first liquor store on lower Broadway in 1944. By May 1957, he’d moved operations uptown and made it “Monmouth County’s largest liquor store.” Becker held the fort — enduring several armed robberies as reported in the local papers — for 40 years before selling in 1984. The New York native died in May 2001.
Broadway looking west, 1940s. Bell Liquors is to the left.
Dr. Thomas C. Chattle “temperance” memorial monument when it was on Broadway between Norwood and Bath Avenues, 1940s. Dedicated in May 1899 to the longtime city superintendent of schools, the structure previously included a water fountain. Considered a “traffic hazard,” it was moved to City Hall property in October 1978 and later to the high school property. Dr. Chattle died in 1889.
Broadway, 1930s. Note the back-in parking.
Sketch of J.J. Newberry, Co. Luncheon Bar, Long Branch Daily Record, Sept. 1944. The Broadway nickel-and-dime store opened in July 1939 and closed in 2002. The 50-foot dining counter was made of marble and steel. The luncheonette was renovated in May 1965.
J.J. Newberry, Co. on Broadway, 1980s. Today, it’s a Family Dollar store.
Old J.J. Newberry, Co. just prior to its renovation into a Family Dollar Store, Sept. 2002.
Flock Funeral Home on Broadway, Fall 1936. Opened in 1903 (as Hyer & Flock), John W. Flock took full control in 1911. Both a Long Branch mayor and Monmouth County coroner, Flock died in 1952. John, Jr. ran the business until his death in 1997. In 2015, it became the Lawson Funeral Home.
Broadway, 1937.
Steinbach Department Store on Broadway, 1936. “A new store with an old reputation” — opened in 1873 by brothers, John and Jacob. In 1893, Jacob assumed full control and ran it until his death in 1933.
H. Kaabe Glass Company on Broadway, 1976. Henry Kaabe opened his Broadway store in 1920. Born in Lithuania, he moved to Long Branch in 1910. After his death in May 1973, sons Louis, Max and Ben ran the business.
Early view of the Steinbach Company store on Broadway, 1870s.
Long Branch Casino at Ocean Blvd and Broadway, 1920s.
Long Branch Casino and bandstand at Broadway and Ocean Blvd, 1920s.
Broadway looking west, early 1900s.
Boot and Shoe Maker: Salvatore Papale ad for his Broadway business (Carol Pasko Photo).
A band concert in Ocean Park at Lower Broadway and Ocean Avenue, 1909.
Long Branch Casino at Broadway and Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. It opened in June 1907.
Broadway Bowling Alley and Bar ad. Long Branch Daily Record, November 1939.
New Long Branch Casino on Broadway and Ocean Avenue,1907.
Goldstein & Son Department Store on Broadway, 1910s. Joseph Goldstein opened the store in 1883. Born in Austria, he sold the business in 1928 and died in January 1937.
Goldstein’s Department Store at Broadway and Liberty Street, 1910 (Raymond Storey Photo). “One of the most modern department stores in the country” –APP, June 1928.
Broadway and Third Avenue looking east, 1936.
Broadway, 1905.
Broadway, 1920s.
Broadway looking west, 1930s.
Eagle Saving Stores on Broadway, 1940s. A classic “Haberdashery” — later it was Eagle Men’s Store — it operated until the 1970s. Romanian-born Morris Friedman started the business and worked there with his son, Sol. Morris died in July 1972.
Broadway looking east, early 1900s.
An Ocean Park concert at Broadway and Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Surf Cleaners at Broadway and Liberty Street in ruins after a fire, March 1956. Milton Feldheim opened the dry cleaning business in September 1954. The building was once the S. Goldstein Department Store.
Broadway Turnpike tollbooth, Long Branch Daily Record, August 1961. By the mid-1830s, Long Branch was largely divided into two sections: Upper Village and Lower Village. To pass from one section to another along Broadway required paying a 2 -cent fare. After much citizen protest, the booths were removed in 1875 when the LB Commission bought the road’s charter.
Schneider’s Tap Room & Restaurant, 1940s. Isidor “Izzy” Schneider opened the Lower Broadway business in 1933 starting with just a bar and five dining tables. It proved very popular and expanded. The Lithuanian-born Schneider sold the business in 1966 and died in July 1983.
Schneider’s Famous Tap Room on Broadway ad, 1970s. Abe Wolotsky and Harold Sawyer took over the business in 1966. Jack Murphy bought the business for $150,000 in 1978. It was “Hunter’s Run” — a nude go-go bar serving fruit juice run by John Evichin in May 1988. The building was hit by a fire in July 1992.
Lower South Broadway, 1948. from left: Freddie’s Tavern & Package Goods and Rex Restaurant-Pizzeria.
Broadway looking east, 1940s.
Scene at Broadway and Branchport Avenue looking west, 1872. Later on the Long Branch Banking Company opened on the corner.
The Broadway Theater, 1910.
Fire on Broadway, March 1959. Nat’s Jewelers (owned by Nathan Lubitz) and Alps Restaurant (owned by Edward Ward) were damaged in the pre-dawn blaze.
On Broadway … Clark’s Pharmacy (r) and the Long Branch Trust Company (l), 1953. Harlo A. Clark bought the drug store in October 1924 (it had been Wert’s Pharmacy). It moved to Oakhurst in 1953. A city native and 1921 Columbia University University College of Pharmacy graduate, Clark died in 1973.
Old US Post Office on Broadway, 1890s. The building still stands today as a supermarket.
Blue Crystal Restaurant at 553 Broadway. “Charcoal Broiled” was the specialty at the popular eatery. Opened in September 1964, Lewis Travlos (r) was the owner — he ran the business with his wife Diana until retiring in 1985. Born in Greece, he served in the US Army in WW II; he died in April 2005. Diana passed in 2003.
Columbia Restaurant and Charles Higgins Butcher. Opened in 1939 at Broadway and Second Avenue.
Long Branch Columbus Day parade on Broadway, 1956.
Greene’s Hotel at Broadway and Third Avenue, 1909. Charles H. Greene, Jr. was the owner. George Tindall acquired the hotel in 1917.
Freddie’s Pizzeria sign comes down, October 2019. Italian native Fred Scialla started the restaurant in 1944 and moved to its familiar location on Broadway in 1952. In February 1995, Mark Brockreide, a cousin, acquired the “thin-crust pizza” landmark and ran it ably for some 25 years. Today, the spot is Lezama’s Restaurant and Pizzeria (Jack Flaherty Photo).
Grand Opening of Freddie’s Restaurant & Pizzeria on Broadway, 1944. In 1952, the eatery moved across the street into the old Jackson’s Market building. Freddie’s closed in 2019.
Albert Lifson & Sons at Broadway and Liberty Street. The Russian-born father and three sons brought their furniture store chain to Long Branch in Spring 1928. The family business started in Elizabeth in 1893. Shortly after Albert died in May 1932, the store went bust.
Broadway, 1905.
At the foot of Broadway looking south down Ocean Avenue, 1909.
Homestead Pharmacy on Broadway, 2019. Originally Britton’s Drug Store, Angelo Vasiliades assumed control in 1942. He renamed it and then built a new $140,000 building in 1954; he expanded again in 1964. Born in Greece, he was a 1930 graduate of the Columbia University College of Pharmacy. He sold the business in 1972 and died in June 1988.
Steinbach’s Department Store on Broadway is nothing but a shell after a major fire, January 1905. “One of the foremost department stores in the county,” according to the Long Branch Daily Record.
The house of Haslam Slocum is moved from is former location at the corner of Broadway and Slocum Place, Long Branch Daily Record, July 1961. Slocum willed the 7-room home to the city. The structure was placed behind LB city hall for use by the City Clerk as municipal offices. The vacant land became Slocum Park.
Old Long Branch Banking Company building on Broadway and Branchport Avenue, 2019. Built in 1872, it later became the Central Jersey Bank & Trust Company and finally a Bank of America branch. The building was donated to the city in 2019 and now houses its Arts & Cultural Center and Office of Community & Economic Development.
Long Branch Trust Company Main Office on Broadway, 1961. Founded in 1886.
Long Branch Trust Company inside, 1955.
O’Connor’s Diner at Broadway and 7th Street, 1940s. Little Silver native Joseph O’Connor took over the business in 1956; he died in March 1969. Previously, it had been the Broadway Diner owned by Chicago native Bill Krzan who died in August 1951 having just celebrated 25 years in business.
The names of Nicholas and Peter Cammarano (sometimes Joseph Catalano) fill the local newspaper archives as to ownership and activity about a Broadway bar, tavern or grill — going back to 1937. The record is confusing. In later years, Marie and Michael Cammarano were the proprietors; she died in 2011 and he died in 1973. (Note: In 1954, according to the LB Daily Record, the Cammarano family was operating three city bars — on Broadway, Joline Avenue and Kensington Avenue. They also ran the Sportsmen’s Bar at Long Branch Stadium along the oceanfront). By 2000, the Broadway bar had closed and was replaced by Uptown Restaurant.
The Hyer & Flock funeral home on Broadway, opened in 1903. The partnership ended when Trevonion Hyer got sick in 1907; he died in 1911. John W. Flock then took full control — he had been in the undertaker’s business since 1896. In 1920, Flock also established the Woodbine Cemetery in Oceanport. John, Sr. was a prominent man – a former LB mayor and Monmouth County coroner. He also served on the board of directors of the NJ Trust Company, Monmouth Park and the LB Housing Authority. He died in 1952. John, Jr. took control in 1946 and ran the business until his death in 1997. Steven Lawson acquired the business in 2015.
West Motors on Broadway and Fourth Avenue ad. Long Branch Daily Record, 1940. It was housed in the C.W. Jones building which opened in 1938.
Looking west on Broadway toward Five Corners, early 1900s.
Old New Jersey Trust Company of Long Branch Main Office on the corner of Broadway and Memorial Parkway, 2020. The bank opened in 1905.
Southside of Broadway, looking west, early 1900s.
Mario’s Restaurant at 574 Broadway, 1960s. Opened in 1930, the pizza was considered among “the city’s best.” The business closed in 1969.
Citizen’s National Bank — in its Neoclassical style at Broadway and Third Avenue, 1920s (Long Branch Public Library Photo).
The old Citizen’s National Bank at Broadway and Third Avenue, May 1972. The ornate stone bank building opened in March 1899 and closed amidst the Great Depression in December 1931.
Demolition of the old Citizen’s National Bank, December 1976. The city took possession of the building in a 1971 foreclosure.
Lenox Hotel (r) at the corner of Broadway and Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. John W. Wilson first got involved with the property in 1908 when he came down from NYC. When he died in July 1942 he had a stake.
L.D. Edwards Company on lower Broadway. Aaron Edwards started the coal and lumber business and ran it with his brothers, operating from 1877 to 1909.
“Five Friends” outside Alps Kandy Shoppe on Broadway, 1950s. They offered store-made candy and ice cream.
Broadway, 1930s.
J.J. Newberry, Co. store on Broadway, 1960s. When the store first opened in July 1939, it offered 27 shopping departments and a 50-foot luncheon counter — all staffed by 67 city employees.
J.J. Newberry front, 1939. John Roberts was the first manager. The store closed around 2002; today it’s a Family Dollar Store.
Competing theaters on Broadway: The Paramount (r) and The Strand (l), 1930s. The Paramount had previously been the Broadway Theatre (opened in 1912). Built by Walter Rosenberg (who later became Walter Reade), it was reopened in 1931 as Paramount and operated until Sept. 1959.
Seaboard Service Company at 400 Broadway, 1953. The new ice, coal and fuel oil plant seen above opened in June 1948 with Charles Presley as manager and H. Cornell Kahle as president. The business was started in 1927 by C. Raymond Shelley; he died in 1937. Abraham Kruman acquired the company in 1949.
C.B. & I.P. Reid Carriage Shop and Blacksmith on North Broadway. Long Branch Daily Record, April 1908. The business opened in 1877.
Chandler & Maps Lumber Yard at 70 South Broadway, 1908. Augustus Chandler and Thomas Maps started the landmark building business here in 1873.
Chandler & Maps front, 1973. Sidney Binder, a Long Branch CPA, bought the business in 1959. Richard Eisele was the longtime general manager there. C&M shut its doors forever in January 1991.
Broadway, 1905. James Birks ran the drug store at left until it closed in 1917.
Broadway, 1930s.
5 Corners Broadway, 1934. At left is Anastasia’s Pharmacy, opened in 1926; damaged by fire in July 1969. Relocated to 120 Broadway, the drug store shut forever in 1976. Owner, Amerigo A. “Doc” Anastasia, was a longtime city pharmacist and city school board president. A graduate of the Columbia University College of Pharmacy, he had two city schools named for him. The city native died in May 1982.
City firefighters pack hose after battling fire on Lower Broadway, early 1900s.
Broadway, 1908.
Broadway, 1930s.
Long Branch Masonic Temple sketch proposal, Long Branch Daily Record, June 1925. The lodge opened in March 1926 at 410 Broadway. It cost $136,000 — Leon Cubberly was the architect and Edward Schoenthaler was the builder. At the time, Dorman McFaddin was club president and Ralph Lum was Grand Master. Local Freemasons sold the “Corinthian columned” building to Joseph Wenning in June 1981 for $41,000.
Long Branch Masonic Temple, 1960s. Designer Leon Cubberly, who was a temple member, also designed New York Times building in Manhattan, the Steinbach Building on Broadway in Long Branch, the Monmouth County Hall of Records, and the Marlboro State Hospital. A Long Branch native, he died in June 1968.
Broadway looking west, 1903.
Busy Broadway days, 1950s.
Broadway, 1940s.
All gone now — Lower Broadway, 2011.
Sugar Bowl Candy Company at Broadway and Third Avenue, 1908. James and Peter Apostolakos ran the business. It closed in 1924
Steinbach’s Department Store on Broadway, 1905. The store was founded by brothers, John and Jacob, in 1873. By 1893, Jacob had assumed full control of the LB store and ran it until his death in 1933. Retail business stopped there in April 1942 and the US Signal Corps then leased the building for a couple of years.
Steinbach’s Department Store in ruins after major fire, 1905. It was rebuilt that same year. Owner Jacob Steinbach was born in Bohemia and moved to Long Branch in 1867. His first store was on Ocean Avenue.
Vogel’s Department Store on Broadway, 1940s. The business was acquired in 1944 by Abe and George Vogel, second generation furriers who learned the trade from their father, Israel Vogel, who first opened a Broadway shore in 1918. Vogel’s closed in 1975 and the building burned in 1978..
Vogel’s Department Store in ruins after fire. February 1978. First opened in 1873 as Steinbach’s Department Store founded by brothers, John and Jacob. By 1893, Jacob assumed full control of the LB store and ran it until his death in 1933.
Vogel’s Department Store on fire. February 1978.
US Post Office on Broadway in Long Branch, 1883.
Long Branch McDonald’s undergoing a remodeling, 2021. The Broadway fast-food franchise was first opened in August 1983 by Ernie George, a former music teacher and professor in NYC. The New Orleans native died in May 1997. The renovated shop reopened in April 2021.
Home of Edward R. Slocum on Broadway in 1868. Today, it’s the location of the city’s public library. Long Branch Daily Record, 1964.
Broadway at the turn of the century.
Brookdale Community College annex on Broadway, 2000s. The Long Branch Learning Center opened in 1980 at the site of the old Vogel’s building that was wrecked by fire in Feb. 1978. Monmouth County’s community college has its main campus in Lincroft.
The China Inn, 1964. The Broadway restaurant was opened in in 1959 and moved across the road in 1965. Jui Yung “Jimmy” Liu was the owner. The China native came to America in 1949.
Old Paramount Theater/Siperstein’s Paints building on Broadway being torn down, 2017.
Fabulous shot of Ocean Park fronting on Ocean Avenue, 1920s. From left: Garfield monument, bandstand and Casino Annex. All have been moved or wrecked.
Long Branch Casino on the corner of Broadway and Ocean Avenue, 1910s.
New Long Branch Casino, 1909. Built at the corner of Broadway and Ocean Avenue, construction cost was $50,000.
Ocean Park and Casino, 1909. A great look south from the corner of Broadway and Ocean Avenue.
Ocean Park at corner of Broadway and Ocean Avenue, 1905. The building shown was known as the Casino Annex and sometimes the Clubhouse. It was hit by a major fire in April 1929.
Casino Annex in Ocean Park, early 1900s. A majestic building where the city’s two greatest boulevards meet. It was torn down in 1945.
Casino Annex at Ocean Park, 1905. Built for $35,000, it was also called the Ocean Club.
Ocean Park, 1906. The bandstand hosted frequent summer concerts.
Oliver Byron appearing at the Ocean Park Casino. Long Branch Daily Record, September 1908. Byron was sometimes call Long Branch’s “Summer Mayor.”
Ocean Park, 1910s. In July 1929, Will H. Pawson of NYC put forward a proposal to build a $3 million hotel and 600-car parking garage on the Ocean Park property in exchange for a 99-year lease at $1 per year. And some 3,000 city voters backed the plan by a 8 to 1 count that August. By 1932, Pawson had “faded out of the picture.”
Ocean Park, 1910s. In 1904 a new form of city government, according to the Long Branch Daily Record, approved $400,000 in bonds to make beach front improvements, including Ocean Park.
Casino bandstand in Ocean Park, early 1900s. The grounds included 750-feet of prime oceanfront property.
Ocean Park band concert, 1911.
Ocean Park, early 1900s. The Casino Annex had once been the Agricultural Hall at the Centennial Expo at Philadelphia in 1876, according to Entertaining a Nation.
Long Branch Casino, 1910. The building could seat 4,500.
Long Branch Casino front view sketch proposal. Long Branch Daily Record, April 1905. City architect George V. Chasey won a $50 prize for coming up with the best plans.
Long Branch Casino (r) along Ocean Avenue in Ocean Park, 1910s. It was the “largest on the Jersey Coast.”
Long Branch Casino in Ocean Park, 1920s. The open-air arena was popular for its boxing matches in the 1910s, 20s and 30s.
Long Branch Casino in Ocean Park, 1910s.
Long Branch Casino, 1909. It stood on the old Ocean Hotel property.
Long Branch Casino in Ocean Park (l), 1921. At the time of the fire in June 1928, the casino’s upper floor was leased by Daniel Maher and used for boxing and wrestling matches.
Ocean Park proposal. Called “the beauty spot of the Jersey Shore,” by the Asbury Park Press, July 1906.
Tory’s Restaurant ad. APP, July 1927. Tory Kawamoto, a Japanese native who came to America in 1904, leased it for $1,500/year and ran a very popular eatery starting in 1925. It burned in a suspicious April 1929 fire. He operated another Tory’s Restaurant on Monmouth Road in WLB since 1924. Worried about his business and the WW II conflict, Tory committed suicide outside Hazard Hospital in October 1942.
Tory’s Restaurant, 1920s. Located at South Broadway and Ocean Avenue, the building was previously the city-owned Casino Annex. The spot was previously the Ocean Club run by Robert J. Slater for many years.
Perry’s Bowling Center on Broadway, 1960s. James “Chitty” Perri opened his first bowling alley (and pool hall) on Morris Avenue in 1924 and moved the operation to Broadway in Sept. 1939, which included 8 lanes. A city native, he retired in 1966 and died in 1995. His son Steve, a decorated B-17 ball turret gunner in WW II, also ran the business. The bowling alley burned in Jan. 1956.
Christopher Columbus monument in Long Branch. The 6-foot statue is located in Slocum Park and was dedicated in October 1961. The marble statue cost $5,000 and was purchased in Carrera, Italy. Ralph Damiano chaired the monument committee. The city’s first Columbus Day parade took place in 1907.
Broadway, 1904.
Broadway looking east, 1940s.
Broadway looking west, 1930s.
Lower Broadway, 1905.
Garfield-Grant Hotel front at Broadway and 5th Avenue, 1930s. Opened in 1926, today the building houses businesses and courtrooms.
John’s Bargain Store, 1960s. The business opened on Broadway in August 1960; Samuel Teicher owned the building. It closed in 1974.
Lower Broadway in decline, late 1970s. The city “blighted” the area in 1984.
Lower Broadway aerial image looking east, 2018. Most of the old buildings have been demolished.
Lower Broadway buildings before demolition, 2015.
Lower Broadway, late 1970s. (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Lower Broadway, late 1970s. (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Old Caputo’s Bakery on Lower Broadway, 1970s (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Lower Broadway, 1970s (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Lower Broadway, 1970s (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Lower Broadway, 1970s (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Proud old Lower Broadway buildings nearing their doom, 2017.
Long Branch-West Long Branch border line on Broadway, 1940s.
Washington Park on Upper Broadway, 1915.
Long Branch YMCA on Broadway, 1968. This local chapter was first organized in 1902, disband and was revived in 1927. Led by E.R. Slocum, the group acquired their Broadway property in 1937. In made a big addition in 1952. Later it become part of Seashore Day Camp.
The old Broadway Theater. Opened in June 1912. Among the stars to perform in Long Branch were: Mae West, Al Jolson, Jack Haley, George Jessel, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Sarah Bernhardt, Walter Houston, Bill Robinson, Morton Downey, and Leslie Howard, according to a 1951 LB Daily Record story. Later it was called the Paramount Theater.
Paramount Theater on Broadway, 1943. Opened first as Broadway Theater by Walter Reade in 1912 and reopened a Paramount in 1931; it closed in 1959. Used for decades as storage by Siperstein’s Paints, it was torn down in 2017.
Interior of Paramount Theatre on Broadway, 1931.
Citizens protest burlesque shows at Paramount Theatre on Broadway, 1953.
Siperstein’s Paint & Wallpaper store on Broadway. The family-owned business was started here in July 1962 by Larry Katz, a former Linden high school teacher. Nathan Siperstein opened the first of a 21-store chain in Jersey City in 1904. The LB business moved to Joline Avenue in 2005 into the old Brunswick Monmouth Lanes bowling alley and operates today as Sip’s Ace Paint & Hardware. Larry, who held a Master’s Degree in marketing from NYU and was known for his 60-hour work weeks, died in March 2014. Prior to Siperstein’s, Edward Odiotti had owned the West End Paint Co. there since 1950.
W.H. Woolley’s men’s-wear business: from left: Howard, Jr., Howard, Sr. and Bill Woolley, 1986. William H. Woolley started the family-owned business at 181 Broadway in April 1911. In 1955, the business moved back into an expanded new store. The business closed in 1990.
The Woolley men — Bill, Howard, Sr., Howard, Jr., 1950s. Howard, Sr. joined the family business in April 1939 upon his father’s death. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a US Navy officer in WW II, and a member of the LB schools board of education and LB Housing Authority, he died in June 1993.
Garfield-Grant Hotel, 1940s. Built in 1926 at the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue.
Scriven & Dilentash’s “New York Store” on Broadway, 1868.
Britton’s Pharmacy at Broadway and Norwood Avenue, early 1900s. John T. Britton established the drug store in 1867. When the family sold the business in 1943, it was the oldest pharmacy in the state.
Bruno’s Pharmacy at Broadway and Second Avenue, 1910s. Owner Basil Bruno was a city native. A Republican, he also served on the LB city commission (1948-1952) and represented Monmouth County in the NJ State Assembly for three terms in the 1920s and 30s. A 1910 graduate of the New Jersey College of Pharmacy, he died in 1955.
Cheers Food & Drink on Broadway, 1980s. George Beckett opened the restaurant in 1983.
Tarantolo’s Bakery on Lower Broadway, 1930s.
The Piano Bar was on Third Avenue between Broadway and Belmont Avenue. It opened in December 1951, offering “choice cuisine and fine music every night.” Nancy and Pasquale “Pat” Simonetti ran the business. Her father was Vito Genovese, one of the most powerful Mafia bosses of his day. The business closed in 1962.
Chandler & Maps on Lower Broadway, 1970s (Dan Hennessey Collection).
Chandler & Maps Lumber Company promo aerial photo, 1953.
McFaddin Motors ad, early 1960s. It started out as McFaddin’s Garage on Broadway by Dorman McFaddin, Sr., who was a LB mayor as was father Charles O. McFaddin.
McFaddin Motors on Broadway ad, 1930s.
McFaddin’s Garage on Broadway. Long Branch Daily Record, 1912. The shop became the city’s first Cadillac auto dealer in 1916.
Cy Barron auto sales on Lower Broadway, 1960s.
Coast Hardware (r) on Upper Broadway, 1943. Arthur Harmon started the hardware business in 1939; Rich Eyerman acquired it in 1989.
Sketch proposal for new Coast Hardware Co. building at Broadway and Norwood Avenue. Long Branch Daily Record, August 1945. The original hardware store was opened by Art Harmon in 1938 up the road at the bank location.
Broadway Diner ad. Long Branch Daily Record, February 1933.
Story about the Tarantolo family and their restaurant on lower Boardway, APP, April 1976.
Members of the KKK march down Broadway as part of its Tri-State Klonklave held at nearby Elkwood Park, July 1924. It’s a sad and disgusting moment in city history.
Such a great compilation of Long Branch history and downtown Broadway. I especially enjoyed pictures of my dad’s longtime store Daniels, which was originally next to Newberry’s at 198 Broadway and then moved to 186. Lots of sweet memories! Thank you!