Having grown up on Long Island and been a 'rail-rat' at Central Mall of Jones
Beach during my youth, I have to comment on how ridiculous it is to propose
that the Stone Pony could be like the Jones Beach Theater.
Jones Beach State Park is 10,000 acres of mostly wilderness with the Theater
being 2.8 miles from the nearest residential development. The capacity of the
Theater is 15,000. This remote location makes an open-air venue of that
magnitude possible.
Clearly Asbury Park and its surroundings have nothing in common with Jones
Beach other than fronting on the Atlantic Ocean. I suspect the comparison was
prompted by a document that the Committee reviewed proposing recommendations
for the redevelopment of Asbury Park after the damage caused by the Hurricane
of 1944.
The connection being, that the consulting team was but together by Robert
Moses, the planner of Jones Beach. However, bathing and recreation were the
focus of that effort.
In any case the Stone Pony is a mere 500 feet from the nearest residential
property and the Casino is likewise 750 feet. In addition the Casino Arena
capacity is clearly limited both in its present form as a bare concrete pad or
as a rebuilt facility.
By comparison, Convention Hall's capacity is 3.500 with the floor being
standing room general admission. I suspect a rebuilt Casino Arena would be on
par with that due to similar size, perhaps a bit less actually.
The Jones Beach Theater is a very inappropriate model for Asbury Park. However
we do have our own unique facilities to capitalize upon - The Stone Pony,
Convention Hall, Paramount Theater, Casino Carousel House and hopefully a
reconstructed Casino Arena. (I'll even throw in the Wonder Bar due to
uniqueness:-)
Those are the character defining features that make Asbury Park what it is and
should be embraced as the core of any entertainment / heritage tourism
development.
Werner
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