The Monmouth Beach Inn
“MBI”
Resting along the banks of Manahasset Creek was the legendary Monmouth Beach Inn. A sometimes-raucous boarding house and bar, locals called it the “MBI.”
In its heyday, the property on Valentine Street covered three acres. The facility included two bars, a pool table and shuffleboard, kitchen, four dinning rooms, and 16 rooms for rent upstairs. The location was the summer retreat for the East End Democratic Club of Newark in the early 1930s. The spot was also known as the John F. Monahan Club and The Shore Club.
In 1948, the MBI was offering “television entertainment for patrons.” In the early 1950s, the MBI was the sponsor of a very competitive men’s softball team; among the players was New York Yankee Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Whitey Ford. And he could hit too — the pitcher who would go on to win the most World Series games in history (10) played outfield for the MBI. By the time he was playing for the MBI he was already a World Series champ for the Yanks in 1950.
By the mid-1950s, Valentine Street area residents were calling the inn a “public nuisance” with too much noise, profanity, and late night organ and jukebox music. Between 1933 and 1967, the MBI had 10 different proprietors (including Charles K. Jones, William Benequit, Martin Lavine, Anne McEvoy, Lillian Bade, Richard and Ethel Carter, Ted Susyski, and Nell and Howard Baurband); the last owners were Dan and Terry Carmody.
Famous for its parties and people with “character,” the MBI ceased operations in April 1967 and was mostly destroyed by a January 1968 fire (during an ice storm). Firefighters back then estimated the building was about 100 years old. After the fire it stood for several years as an empty shell surrounded by weeds. Today, the land is the Sands Point South condominium complex which opened in December 1974 with 58 units starting at $27,990. Project developers were the NJR Development Corp. and Driftwood Associates.
The nearby Valentine Street Bridge that connected Monmouth Beach and Long Branch was first opened in 1908. The 380-foot-long bridge — at one time heavily trafficked and owned by the county — was removed in 1965.
The Howag Corporation, an investment group led by Walter Mihm and Oscar Williams, acquired the liquor license from the defunct MBI in the late 1960s. The license sat dormant for many years and was later used for the Haul Out Restaurant on the river at the foot of West Street which opened in 1978. It later became Sallee Tee’s Grille (1999-2012) and today it is the Beach Tavern.
MBI seen from Manahasset Creek, 1909.
MBI, 1955.
MBI, 1950s.
MBI (with “Shore Club” on front), 1930s.
MBI, 1960s.
Aerial view of Manahasset Creek, with two bridges: Patten (top) and Valentine (bottom), 1951.
MBI on the right of the Valentine Street Bridge, 1920s.
MBI by Valentine Street Bridge, 1940s.
MBI softball team, 1950s.
Friends gather at the MBI, 1950s.
Bill & Terry Flaherty and Gloria & Dan Hennessey at MBI party, 1950s.
Celebration at MBI, 1950s.
“Shuffleboard Dinner” at MBI, 1954.
World War I soldiers gather at MBI before shipping out, late 1910s.
APP Story on Whitey Ford playing for MBI, June 1952.
APP story on MBI fire, January 1968.
MBI matchbooks.
Asbury Park Press ad (later became the MBI), June 1938.
MBI ad. APP, November 1947.
Thanksgiving Dinner at MBI, 1945.
Sands Point South condo ad. APP, Sept. 1974.
Sands Point South condo complex, 2020.
Valentine Street looking across Manhasset Creek to Long Branch, 2019.
Interesting article Greg. Thanks for posting.
I recall some trivia from the MBI. I can name most of the players from the 1950 softball team. Interesting that my father, who was the pitcher on that team, always joked about how he pitched and Whitey Ford played center field. LOL. The Monmouth Beach Inn was my first home in 1952. My father and grandfather, Harry J. Woolley, leased the MBI for a couple of years.
Anyway — I enjoyed reading the article. Best wishes.