“Wooden Palaces” of Monmouth Beach
Spectacular seashore mansions …
One way that the wealthy like to flex is through the building of huge houses. A fetching feature of Monmouth Beach heritage were the palatial houses — called “Cottages” — built along the seashore during the town’s glory days as the 19th century was ending.
Old “Big Bucks”
These fabulous wooden mansions mostly along Ocean Avenue made up a “Millionaire’s Row” back then. In those days Ocean Avenue from Sea Bright to Long Branch was “one continues chain of cottages of beautiful design and charming location” according to an 1877 book, The Lelands and American Hotels. Sadly, most are gone today — lost to time and tide.
One question I keep hearing but can seldom answer is who built these massive wood houses hard by the ocean? According to my Long Branch Daily Record research on the town’s Gilded Age glory growth — after the 1870-1880 decade — so fast was the mansion building that not one lot remained along the oceanfront from North Long Branch to Sea Bright. The Daily Record highlights the role of pioneering contractor, James Cloughly, who had “little opposition in the building line” back then. It helped that the family owned a huge lumber yard in Long Branch. Born in England, a Civil War veteran and father of 12, James died in October 1918 — regrettably most of his work is gone too.
I’ve received plenty of wonderful feedback on these photos of homes from years past, so I’ll keep digging for more nostalgic imagery. Please return as I’ll update the section regularly. Enjoy the look back:
Naming Names: Monmouth Beach Rich & Famous Era — HERE.
Big Bucks Territory — Wolverton Atlas of Monmouth Beach, NJ, 1889. See the Gilded Age glory names who made a small seashore colony into an exclusive summer get-a-way.
Still Standing — Several of the few remaining classic Ocean Avenue cottages, February 2025.
Party Palace — The infamous Sam Weir house on Ocean Avenue, 1970s. This large vacant house on stilts was the scene of a wild TV show/party thrown by radio shock jock Howard Stern in November 1991. He and his entourage, including several area residents, made peculiar fun and games at the repossessed house of crooked area real estate developer Gary Grieser. Some 14 million viewers saw the Channel 9 WOR-TV show.
Sam Weir house seen from the oceanside, 1980s. The Ocean Avenue house was built from White Sands Beach Club remains.
32 Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
High Society — Ocean Avenue looking north, early 1910s.
“Summer cottages” along the east side of Ocean Avenue, 1907.
Ocean Avenue mansions north of the MBBP, July 1912.
River Avenue cottages, 2010s.
Big Act — Louis James house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. Known as the “greatest Shakespearean actor on the American stage” upon his March 1910 death, according to the Long Branch Daily Record. An internationally-known actor and thrice married, he was also an early borough fire department member. The house burned in 1924.
Ocean Avenue mansions, 1940s.
Ocean Avenue looking north in Monmouth Beach, Long Branch Daily Record, July 1901.
Hail to the ex-Chief — Col. William Barbour house on Ocean Avenue, Long Branch Daily Record, August 1901. According to an August 1894 Red Bank Daily Register story, Barbour held a summer dinner party at his home to honor and welcome former President Benjamin Harrison to town. The property sold for $50,000 in January 1934.
Monmouth Beach mansion, 2024. Lou Tsakiris home along the oceanfront.
Another Angle — Lou Tsakiris home road view, late 1970s.
Living Color — Seashore mansions north of the MBBP, 1950s.
Private Boardwalk — Monmouth Beach coast, 1910.
Seashore Classic — A cluster of recently built Ocean Avenue mansions, 1890s. The per diem rate for carpenters was $2.50 in Spring 1881, according to the Red Bank Daily Register.
Town Classic — A grand image of Ocean Avenue looking north, late 1910s. The Monmouth Beach Club rules the road.
A surfer in Monmouth Beach is surrounded by waves and mansions, 2013.
Col. Lake house on Riverdale Avenue, 1919. The house still stands.
“Pink House” on Ocean Avenue by George Stave, 1981. A pleasant recall from 50 years ago, the following images are of 32 Ocean Avenue which is bracketed by Valentine Street and Surf Road.
The Gallello family owned the house from 1960 to 1989. The patriarch, Dominic Gallello, Sr., was a master pattern maker for Christian Dior in Manhattan and a decorated US Army World War II veteran. He and his wife, Elena, raised three sons in town. Born in Gagliato, Italy, Dom died in June 2000 at age 85.
32 Ocean Avenue.
32 Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
32 Ocean Avenue — separated by 100+ years.
32 Ocean Avenue — present day
More Monmouth Beach Mansions …
A couple of grand Ocean Avenue homes get springtime care via CMR Landscape & Design, May 2023.
W.R. Potts house on Ocean Avenue, 1900.
Van Brunt house on Ocean Avenue, 1900.
J. Amory Haskell house, 1900. He bought the Ocean Avenue house in 1895. His son, Amory L. Haskell, was the first Monmouth Park president and namesake of the track’s annual marquee horse race, the Haskell Invitational — MORE INFO.
James Dunbar house on Ocean Avenue, 1881. Known as “Whitecaps.”
Unidentified mansion on Ocean Avenue, 1910s.
Ocean Avenue cottages, 1902.
Unidentified house on Ocean Avenue, 1940s.
Monmouth Beach Club and cottages along the coast, 1960s. At left is the McKessen house — one of last great Ocean Avenue mansions was wrecked in the 1970s.
Ocean Avenue cottages and the Monmouth Beach Club seen from the the clubhouse hotel roof, 1920s.
John M. Cornell cottage on Ocean Avenue, 1904. His family started the Cornell Iron Works foundry in NYC.
Beach Glow — the MBBP’s neighboring forever wooden palace, 1930s.
Classic Ocean Avenue — looking north with plenty of mansions all the way to the MB Club, 1920s postcard.
Edward A. Walton house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Riker house on Ocean Avenue, 1905.
Benjamin Van Brunt house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
“Annex” Cottages of the Monmouth Beach Inn, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue cottages, 1910s.
Col. William Barbour house on Ocean Avenue, 1899. Wrecked in 1973 to build The Shore high-rise condo.
Colgate family home on Beach Road, early 1900s. The patriarch Bowles Colgate, Jr. was co-founder of Colgate & Company, which later merged with Palmolive Soap to form the now giant, Colgate-Palmolive Company. Today, it has over $17 billion in annual revenues. A Brooklyn native and Civil War veteran, Colgate died in April 1902.
“Millionaire’s Row” on Ocean Avenue — at the turn of the century.
The old seawall and cottages along Ocean Avenue, 1920s. The seawall never really provided adequate protection from major Atlantic Ocean storms.
“Cottages” along Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
J. Walter Spalding house (“Florenza”) on Ocean Avenue, 1933.
Spalding Estate Sale, 1933. The asking price was $45,000.
The Monmouth Beach Club surrounded by oceanfront mansions, 1920s.
Ocean Avenue mansions after a major storms, 1930s.
Ocean Avenue cottage, 1968.
Ocean Avenue cottage, 1966.
Monmouth Beach Club and surrounding cottages along the coast, 1938.
Great view of the “wooden palaces” along Ocean Avenue, 1940s.
Ocean Avenue aerial image, 1940s.
Club Circle cottages (color postcard), 1912.
“SeaVerge” (r) in all its glory. During a “Gay Nineties” Summer.
Ocean Avenue mansions, early 1900s.
Intersection of Beach Road-River Avenue, 1920s. Note the church in the distance.
The massive cottage of Dr. Frederick K. Humphreys (1816-1900) on Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
Landmark Lost — The massive “Humphrey cottage” burns to the ground, May 1947. At the time, the house was owned by Joseph P. O’Leary. Jarvis Williams owned the cottage to the left and local firefighters were credited with saving the house that night.
Manahasset Hotel postcard, 1920s (it says Monmouth Beach but the hotel was in North Long Branch). The 42-room hotel burned in February 1929.
“The Nell Grace” remains, March 1941. It burned during a 1941 St. Patrick’s Day storm when Nell Grace Benequit was the owner. Located in Galilee, it had been built about 1890 by A.P. Proal.
Putting a nice shine on 34 River Avenue, July 2022.
This River Avenue house was part of the once nearby MB Clubhouse Hotel. Longtime residents William and Margaret Heath sold the property in May 2010 and the house was wrecked shortly after. The couple was much-respected for their dedication to the borough — Bill Heath (1912-2005) was a longtime MBBP manager and “Peg” Heath (1924-2011) was a longtime MB Library director.
Large summer cottages along Ocean Avenue looking north, early 1900s.
Plus: Wooden Palaces in Sea Bright — HERE
1 Riverdale Avenue, 2020. An Oliver Byron house.
13 Ocean Avenue, 1990s.
Ocean Avenue looking north, 1910s.
Ocean Avenue looking north, 1908.
40 River Avenue, 1935. Randolph Beadleston owned the house for many years; he died in December 1933. Dr. Charles W. Kelly owned the house from 1962 to 1982. The Barham family has owned the property since 1984.
40 River Avenue, 1972.
40 River Avenue, 2000s.
Millionaire’s Row on Ocean Avenue painting by borough resident Gail Gannon, 1976.
Monmouth Beach cottages along the coast, 1930s.
Ocean Avenue mansions after a major storm, 1944.
“Wooden Palaces” on Ocean Avenue, 1930s.
“High Society” — Massive cottages along Ocean Avenue looking north, 1905.
Dr. Frederick K. Humphreys massive house on Ocean Avenue, 1905. He died there in July 1900.
Ocean Avenue “Wooden Palaces,” early 1900s.
Patrick Griffin’s house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. Patrick “Paddy” R. Griffin, a former bartender who grew to become the powerful Democratic mayor of Hoboken, NJ from 1915 to 1926. Griffin Street and Griffin Park in town are named in honor of the family. He died in January 1931 at age 53; his wife Mary died in Long Branch in Sept. 1960.
Beach Road “Wooden Palaces,” 1910s.
Ocean Avenue mansions near the MBBP, 1978.
Wooden palaces along Beach Road, early 1900s.
Garrett home at Ocean Avenue and Beach Road gets it decorative “Whale” sign back as house renovations continue, October 2021.
The inside foyer of “SeaVerge” on Ocean Avenue, American Architect & Building News, 1886. Superbanker George Fisher Baker owned the great mansion (where today’s Shore’s Condominium rests). Bruce Price — who pioneered the shingle-style — did the design. It was wrecked in the 1960s. Baker was a heavy-hitter in so many amazing ways — from being an original investor in today’s Citibank to endowing the Harvard School of Business.
“SeaVerge” — George Fisher Baker home on Ocean Avenue, 1882. Word is he loved MB and was a summer resident up until his death in 1931. Read my story about the “Spinx of Wall Street” here.
35 Ocean Avenue: One of the last great oceanfront MB properties, Sept. 2021. For sale: $11.8 million.
Ocean Avenue cottages and the MB Club (r), seen from the MB Hotel at Club Circle, 1920s.
Monmouth Beach Casino on Beach Road, early 1900s. Ocean Avenue cottages in the rear.
Ocean Avenue “wooden palaces” surround MBBP, 1920s.
Ocean Avenue in its glory (looking north), early 1900s.
At Ocean Avenue and Valentine Street, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue houses at the Monmouth Beach-Long Branch boarder, 1912.
Monmouth Beach Clubhouse Hotel on Beach Road, 1905. It burned in 1929.
Some modern “cottages” on the MB coast, 2021.
MB homes along Ocean Avenue, 2015.
Monmouth Beach Casino (r) seen from Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. In 1913, the building was moved west up Beach Road and made into the Borough Hall.
Ocean Avenue summer cottages, 1907.
Ocean Avenue summer cottages, 1903.
Long Branch Daily Record, May 1969.
34 River Avenue, 2006.
Ocean Avenue cottages at MB, Glimpses of New Jersey Coast Resorts, 1902.
The “Rogers House” on Ocean Avenue, 1960s.
E.A. Walton house on Ocean Avenue. Long Branch Daily Record, June 1901. He was “a Pioneer Summer Resident.”
The 12-room mansion of J.A. Barlow, Jr. on Ocean Avenue for sale in 1940. Price: $18,000.
The house I grew up in at 40 River Avenue. Red Bank Register, October 1962.
Barbour cottage on Ocean Avenue, 1905.
The Dr. Humphrey cottage (r) on Ocean Avenue, 1908.
Ocean Avenue cottages, early 1900s.
Horse and carriage around Club Circle, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue home of Ella Ennis. The “Stick-style” house was built in the 1870s. “Aunt Ella” lived there with her sister, Mary, beginning in 1936. Mary died there in May 1948. A Brooklyn native and NYC public school music teacher, she held degrees from Harvard and Columbia.
Ocean Avenue homes after Superstorm Sandy, 2012.
“The Hedges” on Valentine Street, 1920s. The 20-room inn burned in October 1946.
Ocean Avenue homes, 1904. At right is the current home of Lou Tsakiris, just north of the MBBP. It was built in 1870. The house was renovated in 1904 by renowned architect, Stanford White. It is actually two houses joined together in 1875.
Same two homes seen from ocean side, late 1950s.
Lou Tsakiris home, present day.
Cottages along the MB coast, 1950s.
40 Ocean Avenue, 2020.
40 Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
8 Ocean Avenue, 2020.
MB unknown house, 1880s.
Ocean Avenue cottages, 2010s.
40 River Avenue, 2020.
6 Riverdale Avenue — Seashore Colonial, 2019.
28 Ocean Avenue, 2017.
88 Ocean Avenue, 2018.
Valentine Street-Riverdale Avenue area, 1930s.
McKessen house on Ocean Avenue. John Chimento acquired the seashore mansion in 1963 with hopes to turn it into a beach club; the town rejected the plan. It was torn down to make way for high rise condos.
Ocean Avenue house. It was wrecked/moved to make way for high rise condos in the early 1970s.
Ocean Avenue house. It was wrecked/moved to make way for high rise condos in the early 1970s.
Benoist Family house on Valentine Street. Built in 1899.
A.H. Porter house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue cottages, 1902.
Ocean Avenue home of George Robeson, 1874. The US Navy Secretary for President Grant, he was an original MB Association member. The NJ native had quite the resume: Princeton grad, Civil War general, NJ attorney general, and US congressman.
Edward A. Walton home on Ocean Avenue. It was one of the first houses built on Ocean Avenue in the 1870s.
Green Inn on Ocean Avenue, 1905. Built in 1881. It was the Miramar Inn when it burned in Sept. 1914.
Ocean Avenue after a major storm, 1920s.
U.S. Life-Saving Service Station, 1910.
St. Peter’s Church of Galilee before moving across Ocean Avenue, 1937. The Episcopal house of worship was built in 1873.
Samuel Riker house on Ocean Avenue, 1905.
George F. Baker home on Ocean Avenue, 1905.
Thomas McCarter house on Ocean Avenue, 1905.
38 River Avenue, 2020.
52 River Avenue, 2020.
15 Ocean Avenue, 2019.
58 Ocean Avenue, 2019.
50 Ocean Avenue, 2020.
28 Beach Road, 2020.
Cottages on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
At Valentine Street and Ocean Avenue, 1905. (Rutgers U. photo)
“Cottages” on the east side of Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
Riverdale Hotel on Fresh Pond Road, early 1910s. Charlie Jones ran the place which was prosperous in its day.
Cottages at Ocean Avenue and Valentine Street looking south, 1910.
MB post card, early 1900s.
Cottages on Ocean Avenue looking north, 1915.
Ocean Avenue looking north, 1940s.
Cottages along Ocean Avenue, 1930s.
Ocean Avenue looking north, early 1900s.
Boardwalk behind Ocean Avenue homes in MB, early 1900s.
Beach Road business building between Borden and West Streets, 1910s.
Hugh J. Hastings estate at Shorelands, late 1880s.
Storm flooding along Ocean Avenue, 1930s.
Cottages on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Shorelands boathouse, 1930s.
Shorelands Clubhouse, 1914.
Dr. Arthur Conover house, Built in 1788.
9 Club Circle, 2013. (house torn down)
11 Club Circle.
34 River Avenue, 2013.
Ocean Avenue and Valentine Street, 1910.
Mansions along Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue cottage, early 1900s.
MB casino, early 1900s.
MB Casino (r), 1907.
Sea Verge the Ocean Avenue home of George Fisher Baker, 1886.
MB Casino, 1910.
View from MB Clubhouse Hotel looking east, 1920s. Note the five houses north of the MB Club.
View from the MB Clubhouse Hotel looking west, 1920s.
Club Circle area, early 1900s.
MB “Millionaire’s Row” map, 1905.
Cottages around MB Clubhouse Hotel, 1905.
“The Castle” at 48 Ocean Avenue, 1963.
E.D. Adams mansion, 1908.
Christian Herter mansion on Ocean Avenue, 1881. The Herter Brothers were the nation’s first great interior designers. The house architect was William Bigelow.
Ocean Avenue home of actor Oliver Byron, early 1900s.
Nell Grace Hotel on Ocean Avenue, 1930s. Nell Grace Benequit ran the place. The house burned in March 1941. A.P. Proal had built it in 1899.
A.P. Poral house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. (later Nell Grace Hotel).
A.P. Poral house on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s. (later Nell Grace Hotel).
Here’s the ultimate MB “wooden palace” — MB Clubhouse Hotel Images.
MB Golf Course clubhouse off Navesink Drive (once know as Olsen’s Hill).
Postcard image of houses along Ocean Avenue, late 1880s.
Houses near Ocean Avenue gas station, 1940s.
L.W. Baldwin summer home on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s postcard.
MB Casino, early 1900s.
MB firehouse and borough hall on Beach Road, 1930s.
Ocean Avenue cottages, 1902.
Cottages along Ocean Avenue, late 1890s.
Home of John W. McDonald, 1907.
River Avenue cottage, torn down in 2018.
Dr. Frederick K. Humphreys house, 1905. Dr. Humphreys died in July 1900 in his Ocean Avenue home.
Dr. Frederick K. Humphreys cottage on Ocean Avenue, 1910. Dr. Humphreys was born in Onondaga County, NY in March 1816. The son of a doctor, he began his homeopathic medicine practice in 1846.
Dr. Frederick K. Humphreys cottage on Ocean Avenue, 1914.
Storm damage on oceanfront, late 1920s.
Riker House being floated from Monmouth Beach (perhaps to Rumson?).
Houses near train tracks, early 1900s.
Torrey Cottage, early 1900s.
MB Casino, 1905.
Nun’s Beach south of MBBP, 1984.
Beach Road -River Avenue intersection, 1920s.
Beach Road, 1969.
Half-a-House. Ocean Avenue home tear down, 2019.
MB casino and tennis courts, early 1900s.
MB “Millionaires Row” along Ocean Avenue, late 1800s.
MB “Millionaires Row” along Ocean Avenue, late 1800s.
MB “Millionaires Row” beach side, late 1800s.
MB “Millionaires Row” along Ocean Avenue, late 1800s.
MB police kiosk at Ocean Avenue-Beach Road, 1920s.
George F. Baker house (called “Sea Verge”) on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Spalding house on Ocean Avenue, 1920s.
J.L. Riker house on Ocean Avenue, 1900.
61 River Avenue, 2019.
108 Ocean Avenue, 2019.
8 Club Circle, 2017.
7 Club Circle, 2010s.
9 Club Circle, 2010s (house torn down).
2 Club Circle, 2010s.
10 Club Circle, 2015 (house torn down).
Old Lockwood house on Ocean Avenue in Galilee, 1970s.
Old Lockwood Seafood Market on Ocean Avenue in Galilee, 1970s.
Ocean Avenue homes near MB-LB border, 1980s.
5 Club Circle, 2019.
58 Ocean Avenue, 2019.
Heide home on River Avenue, early 1900s.
More Great Old Homes of Monmouth Beach …
The following photos were sent to me by Joanne Blaauboer. Part of her family collection, the house was owned/rented by her great great grandfather John Young Foster (1831-1896). It appears the house was on Ocean Avenue in Galilee — probably south of today’s MB Cultural Center. F.L. Huff took the photos, she says.
The big house in the background is probably the old Lockwood home and nearby is perhaps an early Lockwood Seafood Market. The home is now owned by Wayne Baldachino. The Lockwoods first opened a fish market on the east side of Ocean Avenue in the 1890s. A 1953 storm washed the building from atop the seawall. Across the street, the family built a new store. Under different owners, it operated until the late 1970s.
According to my own research, Nelson Lockwood started in business in 1892 and the Nelson Lockwood Fish Company — wholesale and retail fish sales — was incorporated in May 1909.
Looking for confirmation or correction from others. Thanks.
Sea cottage #1.
Sea cottage #2.
More old Monmouth Beach homes …
“Stick Style” … “Swiss Style Villa” … “Carpenter Gothic” … “Queen Anne Style” … “Shingle Style” … “Colonial Revival Style” … “Victorian Vernacular” — these are some of the design categories used to describe classic Monmouth Beach home architecture.
The following images and information come from the New Jersey DEP Office of Cultural and Environmental Services and are dated from 1984. These 18 private houses in Monmouth Beach were then part of a Monmouth County inventory to determine if any were eligible for mention on National Register of Historic Places (a few were possibilities and yet MB currently has no listing).
Many of these grand MB homes are still standing; others have fallen to time. I’ve included the addresses and construction dates, according to state data in the document. Here’s a link — have look for lots of interesting info from the research.
12 Beach Road (c. 1885).
13 Beach Road (c. 1890).
5 Club Road (c. 1890-1907).
64 Ocean Avenue (c. 1900).
82 Ocean Avenue (c. 1890-1907).
88 Ocean Avenue (c. 1890-1907).
138 Ocean Avenue (c. 1875).
31 River Avenue (c. 1880).
39 River Avenue (c. 1900).
40 River Avenue (c. 1900).
48 River Avenue (c. 1900).
17 Borden Street. (1700s?)
4 Club Road (c. 1878).
6 Club Road (c. 1878).
67 River Avenue (c. 1890).
61 River Avenue (c. 1880).
65 Riverdale Avenue (c. 1900).
12 Wesley Street (c. 1872).
More old MB houses …
Restored John Torrey house on Club Circle, 2019.
William Prentice house on River Avenue, early 1900s.
William Prentice house on River Avenue, early 1900s.
3 Cottage Road, 1930s.
3 Cottage Road, 1930s.
Horton House around Club Circle.
Niles House on Ocean Avenue, 1919.
Schriver house.
Baker house.
Spalding estate on Ocean Avenue.
Monmouth Beach Casino, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Shriver Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Newcombe Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Allan Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Cook Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Gray Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Harms Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Seymour Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Valentine Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Foster Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Gothic Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Laundry, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Vanderhoef Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
South De Gray, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Duff Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Roberts or Centre Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
North De Gray, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Peters Bungalow, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Cattell Cottage, 1914 (New-York Historical Society)
Proal House, 1905 (RUcore). In 1914, Pierre A. Proal inherited a family estate valued at $1 million (today it’s about $33 million). His father was Arthur B. Proal, president of Union Carbide Company, who owned the home here. He died in 1914.
Freize House, 1905 (RUcore)
Fanshawe Barn, 1905 (RUcore)
Humphrey House, 1905 (RUcore)
Barbour House, 1905 (RUcore)
Riker House, 1905 (RUcore)
Church of the Precious Blood, inside, 1905 (RUcore)
Stone Palaces of MB …
MB School on Griffin Street.
MB School.
MB School being torn down in 1982.
Sources:
New-York Historical Society
Rutgers University Community Repository Collection
Beautiful. Do any of these still exist, aside from the Boro Hall?
Mike Short commented on the MB Facebook page that the Gothic Cottage is his house that was moved to its current location on River.
The photos of Harm’s Cottage and North De Gray are the same house from two sides. It was lifted and moved from adjacent to the Monmouth Beach Bath and Tennis Club to the corner of Ocean Avenue and Cottage Road. It was built by a Railroad executive named Vredenburgh, who sold it to a couple named Flynn for $1. They had one daughter, Lucy Flynn, who sold the house to me in 1979. I was fortunate to purchase the Victorian furniture that had been in the house since it was built 1n 1870.
So nice to get the history of such wonderful architectural homes in Monmouth Beach. Thanks.
So special to have these photos to remind us “how it was.” Thanks for the post …
Loved seeing these photos. Thank you, Greg
Hi Greg:
Do you happen to know the names of the “stick” style architects that built homes in Monmouth Beach in the 1880’s? I live in one of them at 108 Ocean Avenue.
Thanks,
Scott Robertson
908-309-3432
This was the town my mom and dad fell in love with. They gave my sister and brother and I the gift of Monmouth Beach. We had a house that served us beautifully as our summer home for 50 some years. What a glorious gift — we summered on 10 Club Circle all those years. The memories and friendships are still alive today.
John Alessi
My father Al Hassinger grew up at 12 Beach Road. It remained in the family until the 1970s when my Aunt Millie and Howard Hassinger sold it and moved to Florida. My great grandfather Louis Hassinger bought the house from the Colgate Family originally as a summer house and they as their main residence.
We still have some of the furnishings that came with the house. Fireplace surround, ceramic pieces, and irons etc. I remember the house well and also heard stories about the house and my father growing up in Monmouth Beach since I was a kid. We were fortunate enough to go through the house last summer.
Thanks Greg. I always love reading about the old days and history of Monmouth Beach. Do you have any old photos of 50 River Avenue?
I know it’s over 125 years old but was interested in what it may have looked like originally.
Thanks for any help Greg.
Greg, you know how much I love all these photos. I’m still shocked that our Ocean Avenue home (built in 1881) remains a mystery and not a single picture exists.
Great post Greg! The Allen cottage and Gray cottage were both located on Willow Avenue directly behind our house and the Valentine cottage. The foundation’s are still there oddly enough. I read somewhere that the laundry was also on Willow, do you know where?
“Fanshawe Barn” is the house I grew up in. It was 42 Ocean Avenue and 23 Seaview Avenue — not sure why two addresses. It’s still there. So now when someone asks if I was “raised in a barn” I can act accordingly. Thank you Greg Kelly for sharing. I never knew the house had a title.
Mr. Kelly —
I grew up in a house in the photos. We lived there from 1971-1996. It’s funny that online it says it was built in 1905, but we were always told it was built in 1892 or 1894. My mother removed the wallpaper in a 2nd floor en-suite bathroom when I was a child and it said something about the home having belonged to a governor (if I remember correctly). We had a lot of very happy memories in that house.
Also, there was a lever in the floor of the dining room that still existed when we lived there — if you pressed it with your foot, it rang a servant’s bell.
Thank you Greg Kelly.
I’ve lived in Monmouth County since 1969 and in Monmouth Beach for 10 years. As a resident and then location scout, I have always been interested in the shore’s history.This is the best composite of photos of Monmouth Beach, ever.
We still belong to MBBP and love the town and it’s beautiful aura, even now with all the changes. Oh-loved seeing the boardwalk, along the ocean.