3 Press articles: Tillie, Convention Hall & Romeo Jon
Bill King II
Published in the Courier News on April 3, 2004
ASBURY PARK -- There's more than one way to save face. Even when it's a
very big one. The Palace Amusements building -- a beloved but decrepit 19th
century structure near the Boardwalk -- will be demolished as part of a $1.2
billion waterfront redevelopment effort.
Tillie, a 12-by-25-foot smiling face painted on one side, will be preserved,
although it's unclear how. Under terms of a permit granted to the
redevelopers by the state, the building will be torn down once they and city
officials can find a way to preserve the section with Tillie's face.
"We're going to save Tillie," said Larry Fishman, chief operating officer of
Asbury Partners LLC.
Built in 1887, Palace Amusements once housed a Ferris wheel, carousel and
shooting gallery, attractions well known to generations of people who
flocked here during Asbury Park's heyday. The building is also familiar to
fans of Bruce Springsteen, who mentioned or pictured it in songs and videos.
Tillie is believed to have been named after the brother of amusement park
mogul George Tilyou.
The arcade closed in 1988, and the building has since deteriorated badly. In
1999, a group of sentimental fans founded Save Tillie, a nonprofit group
aimed at preserving the building or, at least, the face.
They have succeeded, at least partly. The state's historic preservation
office has agreed to the demolition, and Fishman said Friday his group would
work in conjunction with the city, the state and Save Tillie Inc. to decide
which parts of the building are preserved.
"I guess you could call it a compromise," said Kevin Broderick, manager of
DEP's Bureau of Coastal Project Review.
The head of Save Tillie Inc., meanwhile, would rather see the whole building
preserved.
"If everyone acts in good faith, the Tillie image, the bumper car images and
the internal artifacts can all be saved if the building is demolished," said
Bob Crane, president of the 1,000-member group.
Fishman said the building would be demolished by year's end, but that no
specific timetable had been established.
"The goal would be to literally cut out a piece of the wall and use it in
some part of the new structure, or put it on display," Fishman said.
Convention Hall saga continues
Published in the Asbury Park Press 4/03/04
ASBURY PARK -- It was a year ago to the day that they held the last boxing
show at Convention Hall, with former IBF cruiserweight champion Imamu
Mayfield of Freehold winning the main event in what was supposed to be the
first in a monthly fight series. And it's been just over four months since
the Jersey Squires of the American Basketball Association played their one
and only home game here before it became apparent they lacked financial
stability.
What's being billed as the "Boxing On The Boardwalk" series is set to begin
tonight, and whether there will actually be a second, much less four others
planned throughout the summer, is anyone's guess.
Now, imagine if you will a shiny food court, much like the one at the new
Ritacco Center in Dover Township, occupying the boardwalk promenade between
the arena and Paramount Theater, complete with cafes and shops. Picture
state-of-the-art video screens and scoreboards in the main arena, similar to
those in Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena or the ones likely to be contained
in Monmouth University's proposed $33 million multi-purpose facility,
blending seamlessly with the refurbished 1929 architecture.
What you'd have is a unique seaside venue promoters would be trying
desperately to align themselves with, rather than simply passing through
trying to make a quick buck. You'd have a building to serve as the
centerpiece for the entire city's redevelopment, not just the waterfront,
with the ability to draw more people into town than any other. And you'd
have a vehicle to bring world-class athletics and entertainment, once a
staple along the boardwalk, back to the beach.
Last week, Asbury Partners, which completed the purchase of Convention Hall
from the city earlier this year, received the necessary permits to begin an
assessment of the decaying structure and come up with a plan to refurbish
it. I know, this isn't the first time you've heard these promises. But with
the competition for entertainment dollars as fierce as it's ever been -- the
Lakewood BlueClaws will draw more than 400,000 baseball fans to FirstEnergy
Field over the next five months -- this may well be the last chance.
"Yes, it is tough competition," said Larry Fishman, chief operating officer
of Asbury Partners. "However, the location is choice. Where else can you
have such an event over the ocean. And we believe during the summer months,
a large portion of the patrons will be coming not only for events, but to
spend a day at the beach in Asbury Park, have dinner downtown and stay after
the event and go to one of the clubs. What we're trying to facilitate is
having Convention Hall act as a draw, not only for events, but for the whole
evening or entire day."
Clearly, having an ocean view isn't enough any more. With the rebuilding of
the boardwalk already underway and 450,000 square feet of commercial space
along the waterfront on the drawing board, the waterfront redevelopment plan
is lurching forward. Now cutting through the red tape created by
environmental concerns and historical integrity is the next battle to be
waged in the effort to make Convention Hall a showpiece to build around.
"It starts with a plan for comprehensive renovation and rehabilitation that
will be submitted to the state of New Jersey, the New Jersey Historic Trust
and the City of Asbury Park, which will outline the scope and time line of
the renovation," Fishman said. "There is no time line for that to happen
right now because there needs to be an existing condition study, so we can
know what elements need to be restored and in what order. There has never
been a complete evaluation of the building."
Whether the proposed boxing series here continues depends on the success of
tonight's show, which features New York's Kamel Kolonivic, a 25-year-old
with a career record of 9-1-2, taking on Jerome Elder of Indianapolis, who
checks in with a 9-4 record, in the main event. But the long-term survival
of Convention Hall, and possibly the entire waterfront redevelopment, hinges
on Asbury Partner's ability to remake the facility into a first-class venue
that draws patrons from throughout the region.
Stephen Edelson is an Asbury Park Press staff writer.
Bon Jovi, Wife Have Baby Boy, Romeo Jon
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- There's a new addition to the Jon Bon Jovi family. Bon
Jovi's wife, Dorothea, gave birth to a boy, Romeo Jon, the couple's fourth
child, Monday morning at a hospital near their home in Middletown Township,
according to the singer's Web site.
"Romeo Jon joins sister, Stephanie Rose, and brothers Jesse James Louis and
Jacob Hurley. All are healthy and everyone is ecstatic," the Web site said.
There were no other details.