A Look Back
By Fred Miller
In 1921, residents began discussing the need for a new, modern oceanfront hotel as a necessity if Ocean City was to keep up with its resort rivals. The Chamber of Commerce appointed a committee to look into the matter, and it came to the same conclusion.
In 1922, a group of Ocean City businessmen decided to make that need a reality, planning an elegant oceanfront hotel on the boardwalk at Eleventh Street. It would be the largest construction project ever undertaken in the city. The hotel was to have 150 feet fronting the boardwalk and 285 feet fronting Eleventh Street. There would also be some frontage on Ocean Avenue.
The new hotel was to be called the Flanders, after Belgium’s Flanders Field, where many Americans servicemen were buried. It was felt that this hotel would have a great influence on lengthening the summer season and would help Ocean City become a year-round resort.
The Ocean Front Hotel Corporation of Ocean City, New Jersey, was composed of prominent businessmen and civic leaders. William E. Massey, president of the Ocean City Title & Trust Company, was general chairman; Joseph M. Roland, owner of the Lincoln Hotel, was vice chairman; and former mayor Harry Headley was treasurer. They were tasked with constructing and operating the hotel and allowing shareholders to participate in and fully share in the profits.
By the summer of 1923, the hotel was ready for its grand opening.
