Historic Shape of Pier
The Ocean Grove Pier is on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places
The Ocean Grove Pier is identified as an historic structure and is on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 1975 and 1976, respectively.
The Proposed Redesign is Inconsistent with All Other Iterations
The proposed pier is not historical. In the pier’s several iterations since 1880 due to hurricanes and storms, the OGCMA forefathers, each time, never once rebuilt the pier in the shape of a cross. It was not even considered. The pier has always been a straight design into the Ocean. David Fox, Historian for the Historical Society of Ocean Grove, confirms this.
The OGCMA has NOT Taken any Steps to Ensure Preservation of the Pier’s Historic Designation
As any Ocean Grove home and business owner knows, no work can be done to a structure that is visible “to the outside” without first obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).
As Zoning Officer George Waterman confirmed at the Neptune Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting held on October 18, 2022, "no property in Ocean Grove is exempt from the HPC requirement.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) has provided no evidence that it has sought or received approval from either the New Jersey or National Registers of Historic Places. Such carelessness could result in the pier losing its designation as an historic structure.
