Ocean City City Hall

About this property

Ocean City City Hall is located in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States. The building was built in 1914 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1997. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, it was made the subject of the 2014 Ocean City Seasonal Beach Tag. Every fall, students of Ocean City High School turn the building into a Haunted House to celebrate Halloween, although there have been gaps where this didn't happen. Ocean City City Hall is a three-story building that is located at the corner of the intersection of Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue on a 0.3 acre lot. It faces Asbury Avenue, and is along the main corridor that enters the city. In 1914, the same year the building was finished, a causeway connecting Ocean City with Somers Point was opened. In 1896, the location of the current building was an undeveloped lot, owned by the Borough of Ocean City. In 1896, Volunteer fire Company #1 built their headquarters on the site as a wood-frame structure. After their 1911 election, the newly elected city commission purchased the property next to the fire house for $6,500, with the intention of constructing a city hall. At that time, city commissioners held meetings at the Massey & Edwards building at Eighth Street and Wesley Avenue. On December 6, 1912, the commissioners passed a resolution to advertise for plans to construct a new city hall, intending to make the new building a gateway to the city once the newly approved Somers Point–Ocean City bridge was opened. In April 1913, the city commission passed Ordinance #45, which authorized the costs for the new building. Then-mayor Harry Headley voiced his support, noting that Ocean City was the only town in the county without a city hall. Residents objected to the cost and need of the new building, resulting in a special referendum on August 1, 1913. Voters approved the construction of the new facility, and six days later, the city commission secured the plans and specifications of the new city hall. The plan chosen by the Young Men's Progressive League was designed by architect Vivian B. Smith in collaboration with Earle M. Henderer. The original plan featured a larger building with a dome, but the design was turned down for a more affordable option. On April 11, 1914, the cornerstone was laid, marking the beginning of construction. The building was completed by the end of the year at cost of $75,000, and opened to public tours on January 1, 1915. Upset at the high cost of the building, residents did not re-elect Mayor Headley amid an organized opposition campaign. On the Ninth Street side, five archways were originally designed to house fire vehicles. This served as the location for the No. 1 and No. 3 fire houses. The building also originally housed the police department, containing a jail cell.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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