27. Asbury Park

From Kingsley Street to Main Street

Grand Avenue, Part 1

Grand Avenue divides the Kingsley-to-Main district in half. It runs from Wesley Lake to Deal Lake, crossing Sunset in the process. It would not be a misnomer to call Grand Avenue "Church Street." Some of the state's finest ecclesiastical architecture is on this wide, tree-lined avenue. One of the great things about Asbury was that you could hop off a carousel horse and a few minutes later slide into a pew.

Image 1.27.2. Parts of Grand Avenue can look pretty much like this nowadays (except for the lack of parked cars and telephone poles).

On the corner of Grand Avenue and Asbury Avenue is Trinity P.E. Church (Protestant Episcopal). Trinity's stone exterior displays an unmistakable Gothic style. The church dates from about 1910.

Image 2.27.2. Trinity P.E. Church.

Just east of Trinity Church is Library Square Park:

Image 3.27.2. Looking west, Trinity Church is at upper right, Grand Avenue running alongside. Asbury avenue is at left. (The Asbury Park Public Library is just outside the picture, to the right, next to the church.) This photo appears to have been taken from a window of the Metropolitan hotel.

The Asbury park Public Library is on the Southwest corner of Grand and First Avenues. It is usually dated 1888 though it was first used in 1885 (and it was finished years later). It contains two fine stained glass windows. The East Window, which faces Grand, is dedicated to General Ulysses S. Grant (we like to call him President Grant) and the West Window to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (who we usually just call Longfellow).

Image 4.27.2. The Asbury Park Public Library was covered with ivy until about the early 1980s. The building is of an attractive rough brownish brick (I recall) but is currently painted white (don't ask me why). There used to be a turret growing out of its northeast corner. To see an inside photo of the East (Grant) Window and the West (Longfellow) Window, plus an old photo of the library click HERE.

Next we will proceed diagonally across the street from the library. Get ready to see several more fabulous churches. I hope your knees are in good shape.

 

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