Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 44

CIO Asbury Park Press, Thurs. Jan. 26. 1978 Railroad Station Destruction Marks End of an Era "We consider Convention Hall and the Casino architecturally more splendid, and the railroad station Is right in the middle of the business district." Anderson said. In recent years Asbury Park has lost many of its downtown businesses.

It is hoped the new complex will turn around the flow of businesses departing from the city. building around the station without demolishing it. Gary Anderson, Community Relations Director for the city disputed Goldstein. "It just would not have been feasible to build around the building on the 'budget we're working with," Anderson said, and it really wasn't that magnificent of a building. "SHOP US YOU'LL SAVE!" I ICCTCD nitl-J i khrf I Ml VUI1II I BUICK OPEL TOMS RIVER I II bury Park had ceased being one of the last cities in the country without Sunday train service.

Economic expansion and the number of visitors coming into the city increased to the point of necessitating the present station. According to Peter Koelsch, who is presently working on a book to be entitled "The Century of the New York and Long Branch Railroad," on July 4, 1909, using more than 200 trains and 2,000 coaches, the railroad carried more than 75,000 people in less than 24 hours with no problems reported. Though a new depot had been sought for nearly 40 years, but it wasn't until Feb. 8, 1922 that construction began. And large as it was, there was concern that the new station would not be large enough to accommodate the volume of traffic.

That concern turned out to be well founded. For several years, according to Koelsch, the New York and Long Branch carried more people per mile of track than any other in the world, with the exception of the line between Brighton and London in England. And the Asbury Park depot was the largest and busiest along the line. In 1929, the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the New York and Long Branch outright, although the name of the line was never changed. Previously, the New York and Long Branch had owned all of the track extending as far as Asbury Park while the other two operated the trains jointly.

However, Koelsch points out that the Central Railroad had actually financed 70 percent of the tracks that the New York and Long Branch owned and always had a controlling interest in it. The railroad continued to flourish for decades. But with improved bridges and tunnels into New York, and especially with the completion of the Garden State Parkway, it started to lose money and deteriorate. For the past 20 years, the Asbury Park station has been in steady state of deterioration. In 1962, it was given a fresh coat of paint, but that has been vitually all the upkeep it has received since.

The amount of people using the station has slacked off in recent years and a visit to the building reveals that it is virtually deserted. Where once ticket sellers were kept busy at six separate windows, one now remains open during the day. Since Conrail took over the New York and Long Branch in 1976, it has been selling off stations along the line. Several other older stations have been converted into diverse establishments such as restaurants, banks and real estate offices. Asbury Park intends to build a new $2.3 million municipal complex and eventually its City Council chamber on the site.

Part of the funding, $1.5 million, will come from the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA). The city's plans were temporarily snagged by the Historic Preservations Advisory Council. The Council is empowered to make recommendations to the EDA and block federal financing for a project when a federal historic site is involved. Though the station was never designated as a federal historic site, officials from the Advisory Council delayed demolition to weigh the possibility of that action. "We thought the building was structurally in good shape, unique, and that it occupied an important visual part of the architectural landscape (of the city)," said Jack Goldstein of the Council.

Advisory Council and city officials met to discuss alternatives to demolition, but could not agree on any. "It was only reluctantly that we recommended release of the funds," Goldstein said, adding that he thought there were other alternatives, such as selecting another site or Mr Continwd From Page CI The northern end of the lot served as a parking area and the southern as a bus depot and passenger pick-up area. In keeping with the tone of grandeur, a gold Roman numeral clock rested over the entrance to the tracks. While historic in its own right, the station was perhaps more significant as a reminder of the city's past. Especially of the railroad it was built to serve.

The railroad played a vital role in Asbury Park's development as a resort town. According to kral historians, without its presence it would be difficult to imagine what the city would be like today. Since most of the city's growth occurred before the age of the automobile, the railroad was the form of fast, convenient access to New York City that was essential to growth. The railroad did not arrive without controversy. It was the cause of a long-standing feud between the city and its southern neighbor, Ocean Grove.

In 1879, James A. Bradley bought the tract of land the city now sits on from the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for $90,000. However, it was sold on the condition that the Association would allow resale of the land only to such parties "that would appreciate the religious atmosphere of Ocean Grove." Part of that appreciation included banning the sale of alcoholic beverages and strict observance of the Sabbath. Observance of the Sabbath included the prohibition of trains stopping on Sunday. It was 1875 before tracks were extended as far as Asbury Park on the New York and Long Branch line.

On June 26, the first train rolled into town with General Ulysses S. Grant aboard to confer celebrity status upon the occasion. Regular service to and from the Asbury Park-Ocean Grove station began on July 7 of that year. Over the next two decades, Asbury Park blossomed as a resort city. Being a resort, weekend visitors were a prime source of revenue.

However, in order for them to return home on Sundays it was necessary for them to cross Deal Lake and board at the former Interlaken Station. This proved to be the crux of the feud between Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association turned a deaf ear to the pleas of businessmen to lift the Sunday restriction. The Association was adamant in its position and supported by the local ministry, who viewed any violation of the Sabbath as evil. This developed into a lengthy and emotional battle.

The Hotelkeepers Association along with other businesses and The Press began to agitate for Sunday stops duing the latter part of the 19th century. In 1897, The Press ran its first editorial denouncing the ban on Sunday stops. Agitation to use the depot became intense. The hotel owners, several prominent businessmen and J. Lyle Kinmouth, founder of The Press, joined forces to fight the ban.

A resolution was passed whereby advertising was no longer accepted by Asbury Park hotels for Ocean Grove businesses and activities. The ministry retaliated with fiery speeches and warnings of eternal damnation for those who advocated breaking the Sabbath. For seven years pulpit battles raged until the stops were finally permitted at the North Asbury depot in 1904. This was accomplished only after James A. Bradley produced a deed saying there were no restrictions on conveyances stopping at that station.

Asbury Park continued to grow, but the northern depot was not large enough to the number of people using it. In the fall of 1910, George W. Pittenger, president of the trade board, again started the fight for Sunday stops. It was about this time that the Public Utilities Commission came into existence. When negotiations with the railroad failed, the city appealed to the PUC.

In 1911, after more than a year of hearings, a ruling was handed down in Asbury Park's favor. After an unsuccessful appeal to the Supreme Court, Sunday stops were finally permitted. Ocean Grove deeded the station (then a wooden building) to the railroad, and on March 3, 1912, regular Sunday service began. The city gave the first train a greeting usually reserved for returning heroes. One reporter on hand for the occasion of the first stop described the following scene: "Fully 4,000 persons crowded the station platform, red fire burned, bombs exploded, fire engines and their hose patrols clanged their bells, the band played 'My Country Tis of everybody yelled, the police, having kept the celebrants off the tracks, retired discreetly and for 10 minutes there was a celebration that knew no bounds." Though a cold winter night, the celebration continued on till the next morning.

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