May 7, 2024
From our friend Bob Crane at Save Tillie:
Since the demolition of Palace Amusements in Asbury Park twenty years ago, the one big lingering question has been this: Would we ever again see the surviving artifacts rescued from the walls of the historic amusements arcade – artifacts that include the backdrop for the famous early photo (above) of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band?
As of last Saturday, there is a sliver of hope.
On May 4, Preservation New Jersey, the state’s leading preservation organization, announced that it has added the Palace artifacts to its list of 10 Most Endangered Places for 2024.
Endangered? Absolutely. Back in 2004, the State of New Jersey signed a deal that led to the demolition of "the Palace," a century-old arcade listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The deal was imperfect, but it contained an explicit promise. In exchange for lucrative waterfront development rights, developers pledged preservation and reuse of the artifacts.
Twenty years on, the artifacts have never been brought back.
Three large wall murals are in a wooden shed. Twenty-six decorative metal letters are said to be piled up in the notoriously neglected Convention Hall complex. A 75-year-old wooden door, drenched by Super Storm Sandy, is stashed in a beach front pavilion. Several artifacts have disappeared and have never been found. Three times over the years, the artifacts were inspected by a prominent conservationist, who most recently found evidence of serious deterioration.
Why has this happened?
Because the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection created a loophole in the deal, requiring preservation and reuse but leaving off a required end date. This has allowed developers to leave the artifacts in storage, facing demolition by neglect.
In a May 4 statement, Save Tillie, the long-time Palace advocacy group, said that “when historically significant artifacts are destroyed through neglect or demolition, they are gone forever. Every loss chips away at the unique character of a community.” It is imperative, the group added, that “state officials undertake a long, hard, unbiased review of the deal, made in 2004, that has allowed the artifacts to be pushed to the brink of irretrievability.”
The future of the artifacts remains uncertain, but with last Saturday’s announcement, a spotlight now shines on the endangered artifacts. Preservation New Jersey officials promised technical assistance and support for the fight to preserve the artifacts.
Stay tuned...
Letters To You continues our strong support of the longtime effort to preserve these important historical artifacts, and will continue informing our readers of what they, especially those who are citizens of New Jersey, can do to help. Again, as Bob wrote above, stay tuned...