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The White House Hotel was demolished on Monday, Nov. 13 after a judge ruled development could move forward — and multi-unit luxury townhouses are in the plans.
"It was very sad," said Pat O'Keefe, a trustee with the Belmar Historical Society. "It was an impressive building."
Formerly known as the Cochran House, the private Victorian-era mansion dates back to the late 1800s and became the White House hotel around 1930, historical society trustees said
O'Keefe drove past the hotel as demolition began but did not watch its completion.
"It was not a complete surprise to us since . . . it was in litigation for a number of years," O'Keefe said. "Still, it's very sad to see a landmark go. It changes the character of the town."
"Sad to see such an incredible part of Belmar history gone, but hope for newer beginnings," said Rocco Constantino, a baseball writer for BallNine.com and athletic director at Middlesex College. He lives in Belmar.
It was the welcome destination for vacationers and seasonal workers for more than eight decades on Second Avenue, overlooking the beach along Ocean Avenue. Its wraparound porches offered majestic views of the shoreline and Shark River Inlet.
"I spent every summer (growing up) in Belmar, from 1944 to 1961," said pharmacist and Belmar Historical Society trustee Rickey Stein. He still goes to the Ocean Avenue beach with his family.
Stein has collected 1,100 postcards of Belmar —including the one of the White House featured in this story, and 1,300 images.
In 2017, the owners of the White House decided to sell it. The $2.4 million sale of the White House property to Down to Earth Construction Company then got mired in litigation as the vacant structure deteriorated.
The original Planning Board approval of the townhouse development was appealed by Joseph and Rital Puleo and John Russell who own two properties adjacent to the White House property.
A judge ruled against the Puleos and John Russel and the Down to Earth Construction Company was free to start demolition and construction which is estimated to take 18 months.
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