Ocean City Boardwalk

The Ocean City Boardwalk is one of the most recognizable landmarks in New Jersey. It is also one of the most well-known boardwalks in the world. It is located in the resort town of Ocean City, New Jersey. It is 2½ miles long and runs north from 23rd Street to North Street. The boardwalk is marked with mile markers for people who are exercising.

Timeline

1880: A modest boardwalk is built from the Second Street wharf to Fourth Street and West Avenue.

1885: Plans are made to extend the boardwalk along the entire length of the beach.

1885: An amusement pavilion called The Excursion House opens on the beach at 11th Street. Ocean City officially promotes it as the city's first amusement house.

1891: City promotional material includes the following statement: "A striking peculiarity of this "city by the sea' is that there are no liquor saloons or places of a questionable character within its bounds. The sale of liquor is forever prohibited, and as a result the best classes of people are drawn here, and disorder and drunkenness are unknown."

1891: The I.G. Adams pavilion, at Ninth Street and the boardwalk, another amusement park, becomes a popular family destination, but is destroyed by fire in 1893.

1895: Ocean City advertises itself as "A Moral Seaside Resort; Not Excelled as a Health Restorer."

1898: Shrivers, a confection shop known for its Salt water taffy, opens for business on the boardwalk.

1898: A 625-foot (191 m)-long ocean pier is completed between 10th and 11th streets. Advertised as a concert pavilion, it can accommodate up to 2,500 people.

1905: A new, two-mile (3 km) long boardwalk is dedicated by Mayor Joseph G. Champion.

1905: The Municipal Music Pavilion, on the boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace, is finished and is the site of daily free band concerts. The pier extends 118 feet (36 m) into the Atlantic Ocean.

1911: The Breakers, Ocean City's first boardwalk hotel, opens.

1915: The city's first fishing pier is built at 14th Street by the Ocean City Fishing Club.

1916: Ocean City advertises itself under the new slogan: "The Greatest Family Resort In America," which remains its moniker to the present day.

1927: A catastrophic fire sweeps through a portion of the city, including the boardwalk.

1927–1928: The boardwalk and its businesses are rebuilt 300 feet (91 m) closer to the ocean and constructed on concrete pilings. Where the buildings and boardwalk once stood, parking is created for automobiles, which are gaining in popularity.

1951–1952: More than $400,000 is spent building a seawall and jetty near the Great Egg Harbor Inlet to halt beach erosion.

1955: The landmark Playland Amusement Center, located at 6th Street and the boardwalk, is leveled by fire.

1962: The Ash Wednesday nor'Easter brings with it severe damage to the boardwalk and its businesses.

1965: Wonderland, a new modern amusement center, opens on the boardwalk at 6th Street.

1967: Boardwalk businesses see a decline in profits after one of the wettest summers on record.

1970: The Breakers Hotel, at the boardwalk and Delancey Place, is torn down in November.

1972: Construction begins on the city's first high-rise condominium, the Garden Plaza at 3rd Street and the boardwalk.

1977: An effort to defeat the city's "blue law," restricting boardwalk businesses from opening on Sundays, fails.

1985: Boardwalk businesses are permitted to open on Sundays.

1987: Seaside Baths, one of the boardwalk's oldest businesses, does not open for the summer season. The Ninth Street bathhouse was the first stop for day-trippers since 1917. The demolition of the two-story building in October marks the end of the big bathhouses.

1993: The Ocean City Music Pier, built in 1928, reopens in June after $4 million in renovations.

Notable boardwalk businesses

• 7th Street Surf Shop [1]
• Atlantic Books [2]
• Bob's Breakfast Grill
• Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy [3]
• Gillian's Wonderland Pier [4]
• Henry's Landmark Jewelers [5]
• Johnson's Popcorn [6]
• Kohr Brothers Ice Cream [7]
• Litterer's Food Court
• Mack & Manco Pizza [8]
• Moorlyn Theatre [9]
• Playland's Castaway Cove [10]
• Shriver's Salt Water Taffy [11]
• Strand Theatre [12]
• Surf Mall [13]
• The Flander's Hotel [14]
• The Fudge Kitchen [15]

Ipê controversy

In 2007 controversy emerged about the city's proposed use of ipê, a type of wood, to redeck parts of the boardwalk. Environmental activists immediately launched a campaign to stop the city's use of the wood, but Mayor Sal Perillo stood by the plan. As of 2007, a decision has not been reached yet.

References

• Ocean City Historical Museum
• Ocean City, New Jersey
• Ocean City Chamber of Commerce

Coordinates: 39°16′23″N 74°34′39″W / 39.27297°N 74.57743°W / 39.27297; -74.57743