Green Inn — Galilee Glamor
The wealthy founders of “Monmouth Beach” in the 1870s were determined to avoid the “hotel crowd” scene that made up most of Long Branch and much of Sea Bright. They continued with the big dwellings yes, but via private ownership. A few hostelries did pop up though:
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The Green Inn
Boasting 600-feet of unobstructed ocean frontage, it was “one of the most delightful spots on the Jersey Coast” in 1907, according to the Long Branch Daily Record. Several magnificent wood-and-glass dwellings made up the Green Inn located on the eastside of Ocean Avenue — where unmatched Atlantic coast views for patrons prevailed.
Situated in the town’s Galilee section, the main structure was superlative dating back to the 1881 and the age of the Monmouth Beach Association (the ritzy syndicate that built the community since 1871). The inn — located directly opposite the Galilee train station — was promoted as “the most up-to-date summer resort near New York.”
With a new century at the shore inn amenities — for up to 150 guests — included the main house with its 17 bedrooms, two large cottages, four bungalows, a 600-feet of beachfront with private boardwalk, a popular fishing pier, and 60-foot water tower. The John W. Borders Orchestra serenaded over a large dining room that was served by an extra-large kitchen.
In Galilee one has “the ocean for a front yard and the river for a back yard,
—Long Branch Daily Record, 1964.
Col. Justus E. Ewing was the fellow who willed this shore resort into reality. One of the country’s “best financial writers,” according to the Long Branch Daily Record, he was “personally acquainted with every bank president” from Maine to California. He published the “Financier,” a newspaper covering Wall Street brokers, until his death in February 1907.
The “Bungalows of Glass,” rentals built by Ewing in 1904, were enclosed by glass allowing occupants to raise the frames and “live in open air” — a first at the beach. Newspaper ads and stories even told of a “glass enclosed swimming pool.”
The last owner, Hugo J. Hanft of New York, bought it all for $30,000 in May 1912. Later called the Miramar Inn (Bill Heitzman, the first borough mayor in 1906, did the repairs), it was mostly wrecked during several winter storms and a fire during 1913-14. All cottage remnants were moved away in 1915.
Nell Grace Hotel
“The Hedges”Inn
Riverdale Hotel