ASBURY PARK 
Located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County , New Jersey , Asbury Park was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 26, 18 74 , from portions of Ocean Township . The borough was reincorporated on February 28, 18 93 . Asbury Park was incorporated as a city on March 25, 18 97.
History
A seaside community,
Asbury Park is located on
New Jersey 's central coast. Developed in 1871 as a residential resort by
New York brush manufacturer James A. Bradley, the city was named for Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the
United States .
Bradley played an integral role in the development of Asbury Park. He allowed the Atlantic Coast Electric Company (precursor to today's Jersey Central Power & Light Co.) to offer electric service. Along the waterfront Bradley installed a boardwalk, an orchestra pavilion, public changing rooms and a pier at the south end of the boardwalk. The growth attracted other businessmen. In 1888 Ernest Schnitzler built the Palace Merry-Go-Round on the southwest corner of Lake Avenue and Kingsley Street , the cornerstone of what would become the Palace Amusements complex. During these early decades in
Asbury Park , a number of grand hotels were built, including the Plaza Hotel.
More than 600,000 people annually vacationed in Asbury Park during the summer season in the early years, riding the New York and Long Branch Railroad from New York City and from Philadelphia to enjoy the mile-and-a-quarter stretch of oceanfront Asbury.
The city by the sea as a destination experienced several key periods of popularity. The first notable era was the 1890s, marked by a housing boom, examples of which can still be found today in a full range of Victorian architecture. Coinciding with the nationwide trend in retail shopping,
Asbury Park 's downtown flourished during this period and well into the next century.
The 1920s saw a dramatic change in the boardwalk with the construction of the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall complex, the Casino Arena and Carousel House, and two handsome red-brick pavilions. Noted Beaux Arts architect Warren Whitney of New York was the designer. He had also been hired to design the imposing Berkeley-Carteret Hotel positioned diagonally across from the theater and hall. At the same time, Asbury Park launched a first-class education and athletic program with the construction of a state-of-the-art high school overlooking Deal Lake .
Neither the Great Depression nor World War II were kind to Asbury Park , although in 1943, the New York Yankees held their Spring Training in Asbury Park . This was because rail transport had to be conserved during the war, and Major League Baseball's Spring Training was limited to an area east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River .
In the decades that followed the war, surrounding farm communities gave way to tracts of suburban houses, enabling the city's descendants to move into newer houses with spacious yards. With the opening of the Garden State Parkway ,
Asbury Park saw the travel market change as fewer vacationers took trains to the seashore. When ground was broken in 1958 to build Monmouth Shopping Center 10 miles away in
Eatontown ,
New Jersey ,
Asbury Park 's downtown became less of an attraction to shoppers. Office parks built outside the city resulted in the relocation of lawyers, accountants, doctors, dentists, and other professionals. The opening of Great Adventure, a combination theme park and drive-through safari located on a lake in Jackson Township ~ and close to a New Jersey Turnpike exit ~ proved to be stiff competition for a mile-long stretch of aging boardwalk amusements. Although it was placed on the National Registers of Historic Places, in 1988 Palace Amusements was closed, and was demolished in 2004 despite attempts to save it.
The city's changing fortunes, together with municipal mismanagement, led to civic unrest. On
July 4, 1970 riots resulted in the destruction of aging buildings along Springwood Avenue , one of three main east-west corridors into
Asbury Park and the central shopping and entertainment district for those living in the city's southwest quandrant.
From 2002 onward, the rest of Asbury Park has been in the midst of a cultural, political, and economic revival, led by a burgeoning industry of local and national artists. Its dilapidated downtown district is undergoing revitalization while most of the nearly empty blocks that overlook the beach and boardwalk are slated for massive reconstruction. In 2005, the Casino's walkway reopened, as did many of the boardwalk pavilions.
The year 2007 has proved to be an important one, full of milestones for the redevelopment of
Asbury Park . The restoration of Casino buildling is underway, and the intention is for it to look much like the original; however, the interior will be dramatically different and may include a public market (as opposed to previously being an arena and skating rink). There has also been more of a resurgence of the downtown as well as the boardwalk, with the grand reopening of the historic Steinbach department store building, as well as the rehabilitation of Convention Hall and the Fifth Avenue Pavilion (previously home to the last remaining Howard Johnson restaurant). The year 2007 has also seen the purchase of the historic Berkeley-Carteret Hotel, which is to be restored to four-star resort status; the first residents moving into the newly constructed condominiums known as
North Beach ; and the rehabilitation of Ocean Avenue.
Culture
Asbury Park is considered a mecca for musicians, particularly for a subgenre of rock and roll known as the
Jersey Shore sound, which is infused with R&B. It is home to The Stone Pony, founded in 1974, and a starting point for many performers. Asbury Park is considered a mecca for musicians, particularly for a subgenre of rock and roll known as the Jersey Shore sound, which is infused with R&B. It is home to The Stone Pony, founded in 1974, and a starting point for many performers.
Asbury Park gained newfound fame after Bruce Springsteen released his debut album "Greetings from
Asbury Park , N.J. " in 1973. On his follow-up album, "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle," one of the songs is entitled "4th of July,
Asbury Park (
Sandy )."
In the movie "Dogma" by
New Jersey native Kevin Smith, God took the form of an old man in order to play skeeball in
Asbury Park . This is in reference to Smith's earlier feature "Chasing Amy," wherein the characters played by Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams played the same game in what appears to be Asbury, but is actually an arcade called Fun City USA in Keansburg.
The 2002 movie "City by the Sea," featuring Robert De Niro, was shot in various locations around
Asbury Park , serving as the actual setting of
Long Beach , New York , where the narrative took place in the original novel. Conversely, the 2006 movie "Dark Ride," featuring Jamie-Lynn DiScala, was set in
Asbury Park , although the movie was actually filmed in
Los Angeles , California .
Professional wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow, who was born in Asbury Park, named his finishing maneuver, an over the shoulder reverse piledriver, after Bruce Springsteen's first album, "Greetings from Asbury Park," in tribute to his hometown.
In 2005, the New Jersey Music Hall of Fame was founded in
Asbury Park . There are plans to build a museum somewhere in the city as part of the redevelopment.
Nightlife
Asbury Park 's nightlife is primarily, but not all, rock oriented. The Stone Pony, the bar frequented by Bruce Springsteen, is still serving the rockers of the
Jersey Shore . Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, before going on to international fame, was the house band at the Stone Pony in the mid-seventies. On Main Street is the Saint (formerly the Clover Club), a small club that showcases local acts as well as established performers such as Ben Folds, Jewel, and Cake. Across town, on Fourth Avenue, is Asbury Lanes, a vintage bowling alley that was revamped by local artists and musicians to create one of the latest performance spaces on the east coast. It has been the setting of anything from national music acts, burlesque shows, hotrod shows, art shows and performance art, and there is still bowling. Nearby is the Baronet, a vintage movie theater which dates back to Buster Keaton.
Popular with numerous
Asbury Park residents and visitors is the monthly First Saturday event. On the first Saturday of every month, Asbury Park's downtown art galleries, home design studios, restaurants, antique shops, and clothing boutiques remain open throughout the evening, serving hors d’œuvres and offering entertainment, to showcase the city's residential and commercial resurgence.
Notable current and former residents of Asbury Park include:
• Bud Abbott (1895-1974), straight man for legendary comedy team Abbott and Costello, born in Asbury Park.
• Stewart H. Appleby (1890-1964), represented New Jersey 's 3rd congressional district from 1925-1927.
• T. Frank Appleby (1864-1924), represented New Jersey 's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923, and was mayor of Asbury Park from 1908 to 1912.
• Nicole Atkins (1978-), singer-songwriter on Columbia Records.
• Frederick Bayer (1921-2007), emeritus curator of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and marine biologist.
• Bam Bam Bigelow (1961-2007), professional wrestler (deceased).
• Edna Woolman Chase (1877-1957) editor in chief of Vogue magazine from 1914-1952.
• Stephen Crane (1871-1900), author of "The Red Badge of Courage".
• Danny DeVito (1944- ), actor, born in nearby Neptune , NJ , grew up in Asbury Park.
• Leon Hess, (1914-1999) oil magnate and founder of the Hess Corporation, began his business in the city.
• Robert Melee (1966-), artist.
• Jack Nicholson (1937- ), actor, born in nearby Neptune, grew up in Asbury Park with his grandparents while attending nearby Manasquan High School.
• John Oates (1949- ), half of the famous pop/rock duo Hall & Oates, owns a beachfront Condo in Asbury Park.
• Arthur Pryor (1870-1942), bandleader.
• David Sancious (1953- ), early member of the E Street Band.
• Bruce Springsteen (1949- ) was born in
Long Branch and grew up in nearby Freehold Borough,
New Jersey , but called his first studio album "Greetings from
Asbury Park , N.J. "
Source: Wikipedia.com