Long Branch...back in time

[DarkSkies]

Close your eyes and sit down in your favorite chair people. I'm going to take you back in time to NJ's Long Branch and let you imagine you are back there in the 1950's through the 1980's.

It's now a crown jewel for the developers, Mayor, town council, and all the people who had the "vision" to create Pier Village and the resulting 5,372 1/2 luxury condos and apartments. All revenue-producing for the town, which is no longer strapped for cash like it used to be.






It's "beautiful" now with the chic shops, mocha latte places, health spas, upscale jewlers, restaurants, everything needed to make Long Branch a sparkling Monmouth County success story, right?






None of that impresses me. I still fish there, day, night, whenever I can get down. Recent conversations with people who frequented that town made me realize how much I missed out on.





I can't go back in time, but I'm gonna bring a slice of old-time Long Branch life to you people. I'm hoping that some people will read this, and add more memories.

Feel free to jump in with your comments, pics, and stories as I share with you some of the things that made Long Branch the entertainment capital of Monmouth County, and the fishing mecca of NJ, for decades until the fire on June 8,1987.

[jigfreak]

It was better years ago. Now it is all yuppies, living in a can of sardines.

[DarkSkies]

There are so many memories people had of this fishing and entertainment mecca:

Baldanza's
Blue Dolphin bar
Cafe Bar
Carmine's Pizza

The Saltwater pools:
1. Chelsea Pools
2. Crammer's Salt water pools

3. Kid's World pool and attractions:
In 1985, six years after developers Pat Cicalese (owner of the Chelsea Pool and the Mile a Minute Waterslide) and his business partner Carmen Ricci purchased the Long Branch Pier across the street that they had been leasing since the year prior to the purchase, Cicalese rethemed the pier, the pool, the Bumper Boats, and the waterslide as Kid's World, inspired by Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania (It should be noted that Cicalese purchased Ricci's half of the business in 1980).
Many of the rides from years past had been replaced by this time by new rides, but the park still drew children. The famous Haunted Mansion that started the revamp of the pier in 1978 remained as part of Kid's World. Kid's World also featured an attraction based on the popular children's program Romper Room. The park was heavily advertised on TV in New York and New Jersey. The previous advertisements for the pier were mostly geared towards the Haunted Mansion, but when the Kid's World concept was introduced, the advertisements were toned down to something more family friendly.
The Fire and closure
On June 8, 1987, at around 3 pm, a fire broke out at the McDonald's at the end of the pier. The fire quickly spread throughout the pier, despite efforts by the Long Branch Fire Department to save it. After the fire, all that remained of Kid's World were the water attractions across the street from the pier. However, after the fire, business had slowed down, so the rest of Kid's World closed down for good at the end of that summer.
Cicalese had originally planned on rebuilding the pier. However, his insurance didn't cover the cost to rebuild what was destroyed, and the town would not fund the project, so the plans were abandoned. What was left of Kid's World remained abandoned for 17 years after the fire.
What was left of the pier had deteriorated over the years, and it was finally demolished in 2001. The rest of Kid's World across the street met the wrecking ball in 2002.



The Haunted Mansion, like no other in NJ

Junior's grill (which later became Big Al's?)

Max's Hot Dogs
Num's

Pier Pub

Shooters Bar


The rides and attractions....

Flying Swings
Mini Golf

Scotty's Arcade

Skeeball

Pistol Pete's

The Long Branch Waterslide




And the most important piece of fishing real estate on the Jersey coast at the time.....



The Long Branch Fishing Pier!!

[DarkSkies]

It was better years ago. Now it is all yuppies, living in a can of sardines.

Exactly, Jigfreak. The pier, mansion, and boardwalk burned down in 1987. A sad day for people who used to go there and counted on it for fun family vacations, partying and drinking, or just plain hard-core fishin.

These are some of the comments people had to say about it:

"...I lost a part of my youth when that place was destroyed by the fire."

"...I cried when the boardwalk burned, I felt like a part of me died."





I never had the chance to go there. I regret not knowing about it. it seems so many people had great times there.

So help me out here, people. Let's see some stories, pics, or info you have or can find on the Long branch fishing pier, the Haunted Mansion, or anything else associated with it. Cite your sources if they're copyrighted.

When I get time, I have some great tales of fishin on the pier from those who used to fish it. I could use help with anything else you can think of, thanks.

[cowherder]

Hi Dark, great thread!

Long Branch Pier

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The Long Branch Pier was a pier located at 65 Ocean Ave, in Long Branch, New Jersey, United States.
[edit] History

The pier was popular among fishermen and club goers who enjoyed late nights at "The Pier Pub" night club. The pier was owned by the Sowul family until May 1979, when developers Pat Cicalese and Carmen Ricci teamed together to buy the pier and build the Haunted Mansion, inspired by the Brigantine Castle in Brigantine. The new pier had an arcade, several retail stores, a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) haunted mansion, a McDonald's, Big Al's Hot Dogs & Lemon Aide and Junior's Restaurant. The pier was heavily advertised in New Jersey and New York. By 1985, Kid's World was introduced, it was an amusement park inspired by Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. The park featured a pay-one-price system, that included both the Haunted Mansion on the Pier and the Giant Waterslide and other attractions across the street. That section of Ocean Avenue was closed and became part of the park so kids could go from one side of the park to the other without fear of traffic. After the change, the advertisements changed from gruesome mansion photos, to happy, family-friendly photos of kids laughing.
[edit] In the end

On June 8, 1987, a gas leak and an electrical glitch sparked a fire in the pier. The heavy winds that day caused the fire to spread, destroying the whole pier. Luckily, nobody was injured.
There were rebuilding plans for the pier, but with almost no insurance, and no banks offering to pay for the project, the plans would never come to be. In 2001, after 14 years of slow deterioration, the remnants were torn down and replaced by a mixed-use shopping/dining/entertainment complex, Pier Village, which opened in 2005.
In 2005, it was announced that a new pier is in the works for the waterfront of Long Branch.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Branch_Pier

[storminsteve]

Found some great views at the historic tour of Long Branch. Ed Thomas Shoreview realty, he's a great guy for collecting all the pics.

http://www.historiclongbranch.org/

[storminsteve]