A reader writes in
Ocean City’s Historic District is one of the things that makes this town more than just a beach. Long before the Boardwalk and the Ferris wheel — and long before it was called Ocean City — this island was Peck’s Beach, land that Lenape people had fished and gathered from for generations. In 1879, a group of Methodist ministers chose it as the site for a new seaside religious community. Within a year, 48 buildings had gone up around the camp meeting grounds between 5th and 6th Streets. Over the following decades, the neighborhood filled in with the Victorian architecture — the “Painted Ladies” many of us walk past every day between 3rd and 8th Streets, Central and Ocean Avenues — that still defines the character of the North End.
That character almost didn’t survive. In the 1980s, redevelopment pressure led to the demolition of some of these older homes to make way for duplexes and modern construction. The city responded by adding a Historic Preservation Element to its Master Plan in 1988 and formally establishing the Historic District a few years later. In 2003, the district earned a place on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places — a recognition that Ocean City’s early architecture is worth protecting, not just for its charm, but for what it tells visitors and residents alike about how this town began.
The Historic Preservation Commission exists to safeguard that legacy — reviewing construction and demolition applications in the district, advising the city on preservation policy, and making sure new development respects what came before it. It’s not a ceremonial body. It has real authority over what happens to these homes.
Right now, that commission has three open seats.
I’ve learned that at least three qualified, interested residents have already submitted their names to City Hall for consideration — and have heard nothing back. These are people willing to give their time to protect something the whole town benefits from, and their applications appear to be sitting untouched.
A commission missing nearly half its members can’t do its job as well as it should. Applications for work in the historic district still need to be reviewed. Decisions still need to be made. And they deserve the full attention of a properly staffed commission, not one running short-handed.
I’m calling on City Hall to act on the applications already in hand and get this commission back to full strength. And I’d encourage any other Ocean City resident who cares about our historic homes to consider applying as well. The district that makes this town special doesn’t protect itself — it needs people willing to serve.
Respectfully, Richard Barth
608 Wesley Avenue, Ocean City, NJ
