Ocean City, NJ
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 39° 16.739 W 074° 34.554
18S E 536578 N 4347822
Ocean City City Hall is located at 861 Asbury Avenue at the corner of E. 9th Street.
Waymark Code: WMPDWQ
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 08/15/2015
Views: 2
The Ocean City was incorporated in 1887. In 1911 it had a commission form of government. Prior to the erection of the present City Hall, the commissioners held their meetings in the Massey & Edwards building at
Eighth Street and Wesley Avenue. The creation of the Beaux-Arts Classicism style Ocean City City Hall in 1914 marked the transition from a 19th century Methodist camp meeting to a modern 20th century city.
Ocean City City Hall was designed by Vivian Smith in collaboration
with Earle M. Henderer. Smith was the principal architect who lived in nearby Atlantic City, NJ. The builder was John W. Emery. City Hall is a five-bay by seven-bay, three-story building made of brick, stone and terra cotta and built upon a steel frame. The façade includes the granite foundation supporting brick walls. On either side of the entrance stairway are large cast iron lighting fixtures. On either side of the stairway there are three rectilinear first floor windows below and within the spaces created by the large terra cotta columns which begin on the second floor and rise to support the entablature above the third floor.The windows for the second floor offices have classical pediments. The frieze has raised terra cotta letters with the inscription: CITY HALL A clock occupies the center of the façade at the roof line.
A secondary façade on 9th Street faces south. It is five bays wide. This facade was originally for fire vehicle access. The five arched openings permitted parking of the fire vehicles. Four of the five have been filled with windows for town offices. The center archway is now used as the main entrance to City Hall. Above the entrance is an ornamental terra cotta balcony.
In 1997 Ocean City City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.