Asbury Park Convention Hall saved from ruin? NJ giving $20M from boardwalk fund

Asbury Park will receive $20 million from the New Jersey boardwalk fund, the Murphy administration said Friday, in a move that could help rehabilitate — and reopen — the historic Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre.

The city's award was the largest of 18 awards that will go to municipalities for boardwalk projects ranging from replacing crumbling decks with resilient, longer lasting materials, to providing grants to businesses needing to compete upgrades.

"These funds will help the city provide needed improvements that enhance the beachfront user experience for our residents and tourists alike,” Asbury Park Mayor John Moor said.

New Jersey established the Boardwalk Preservation Fund last August with money from the federal American Rescue Plan in a bid to help municipalities keep up with the expenses of maintaining a signature of the state's tourism industry: the boardwalk.

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The program drew particular interest in Asbury Park, where the Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre's music venues have been closed since 2020 because of safety concerns. The city worked with the building's owner, Madison Marquette, to apply for money from the boardwalk fund to help renovate and reopen the attraction.

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Asbury Park ultimately received half of what it requested. It will get $7 million that it will use to make repairs and upgrade bathrooms on the south end of the boardwalk. And it will oversee $13 million that officials expect Madison Marquette to use to repair Convention Hall and the Paramount, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said.

Gary Mottola, managing director for Madison Marquette, said the company looked forward to partnering with the city to complete a makeover. In addition to rehabilitating Convention Hall, the retail company has laid out plans to build a 5,000-seat outdoor theater near the Casino building.

"This is an important and critical step in our plans to completely renovate Convention Hall and the other iconic buildings on the boardwalk, and in doing so to preserve and enhance Asbury Park’s long and storied history as a center for the celebration of music," Mottola said.

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Asbury Park isn't alone. Atlantic City was awarded $20 million from the boardwalk fund. Seven other Monmouth and Ocean County towns that will receive boardwalk money.

Seaside Heights, for example, will receive $4.8 million that will be used to replace the entire length of the borough's two-mile-long boardwalk, which was last redone after it was wrecked by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

"We are very happy to get it, and we want to thank the governor and the DCA," Mayor Anthony Vaz the said.

Also sharing in the fund:

• Belmar will receive $1.5 million.

• Berkeley Township will receive $448,125.

• Bradley Beach will receive $4.3 million.

• Keyport will receive $800,694.

• Long Branch will receive $3.3 million.

• Toms River will receive $1 million.

It isn't clear what those towns will use the money for. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs couldn't be reached late Friday.

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But the state offered examples: replace deteriorating pilings; improve access and safety by building ADA-compliant ramps and railings; and expand an existing section of the boardwalk.

"Our boardwalks have long been a prized destination and we want to keep them that way by helping Shore communities repair and maintain these wooden main streets,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

Few towns, however, seemed to have more riding on the funding than Asbury Park, where the grand Convention Hall's main attractions have been closed for three years.

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Designed by the same architects of Grand Central Terminal in New York, the building sits like a castle on the edge of the ocean. It has two music venues — the 3,600-seat Convention Hall and the 1,600-seat Paramount — and it has been the scene of legendary concerts.

City officials, however, deemed the Paramount Theatre unsafe in 2020 and ordered it closed until Madison Marquette could make repairs. Since then, city officials have grown increasingly frustrated as the music venues have remained dark.

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On Friday, officials sounded a more hopeful and conciliatory tune. It isn't clear if the money will be enough to make all the repairs needed, "but we are certainly hopeful it gets the Paramount open," Quinn said.

Staff writer Jean Mikle contributed to this story.

Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park Convention Hall could be saved with $20M gift from NJ