Ocean City Lifesaving Station

THE Life of the Station – Ocean City New Jersey’s 4th STREET LIFESAVING STATION - By William Kelly

It was there before anyone alive today was born; it has survived ‘noreaster storms, blizzards and hurricanes, and now it faces the sternest test – development money.

To save it, Ocean City Council voted to allocate $2.9 million to purchase it, but the 150 year long saga of Ocean City’s historic 4th Street Lifesaving Station is not over, as it drags on. It remains at a precarious crossroads, surrounded and besiged by development - the Alamo of Ocean City. It can be saved in the public trust for future generations or it can be lost to developmental pressures and be replaced by modern condominiums. And what happens will be the legacy we alive today leave behind.

Is it worth $2.9 million to the city and the community to save the station for the public? That’s ten times the value of the property was worth six years ago, when it was appraised for taxes at $250,000 as a single-family home.

As the cornerstone of Ocean City’s Historic District, that was the appraised value when the owner decided to sell her home to a prolific developer for $750,000 without bothering to place a sale sign on her lawn to let people know it was available and on the market.

Those active in attempting to preserve historic buildings and landmarks have learned that the only way to save historic buildings from deteriation or development is to buy them, own them and be restore them.

But in situations like Ocean City where the land value increases much more than the building, regardless of size, condition or historic stature, then there is little if no financial incentive to preserve any structure. Few realtors even bother placing a “For Sale” sign on a listed property when they personally know a dozen developers who will pay triple the home’s value to tear it down and condo it out for much larger profit. Therefore other factors must come into play to deter such money, because money wins over preservation every time.

They say property owner rights are at stake here, and the owner certainly has the right to sell to whomever they want for whatever they can get. But it is also un-American and against the open free market enterprise system to sell historic landmarks for demolition under the table and behind closed doors, without notifying the community that the property is available.

That’s the basis for the Historic District ordinance, which merely states, in one sentence, that such historic structures must be placed on the open market for six months so anyone who wants to buy and preserve it may have the opportunity to do so. That’s the American Way.

There were a number of qualified families and individuals who were interested in buying and living in the station and keeping it as a single-family home, for $290,00 seven years ago or $1 million last year. The increasing value of the property reflects the value of all the land around it, and the amount of money that can be made if each of the three lots can be developed to their fullest, the greed behind the idea to move it.

Some say moving the building to the boardwalk and developing the lots is a reasonable alternative, but moving an historic building is a last resort, not a first resort, as in this case. Moving it would eliminate state and federal funds to offset the purchase and attempts to move other historic Ocean City buildings were unsuccessful (i.e. the Parker Miller house and Journie Manor) failed. The house where Parker Miller was the first child born on the island was moved to the Tabernacle grounds, where a particularly cold winter made it attractive firewood. Moving the core structure of the Lifesaving Station to the boardwalk would only place it in the harms way of future storms.

In addition, it is not only the core building that is historic, but the entire building, complete with additions, the flora and fauna of the grounds, and the survey marker, that can never be built on because it is the marker that every survey of the island has used as a starting point for all city surveys – ground zero Ocean City.

A court decision that allows the owner to remove additions to the core structure is being appealed by CHiP because the additions themselves, some over 100 years old, are also historic. Photos of nearby Somers Mansion in Somers Point clearly make this point. When the State of N.J. took over ownership of the centuries old Somers Mansion they removed the spindle-laden wrap around second floor porch with its spectacular view of the bay. The removal of the porch took away part of the building’s history, just as the entire Lifesaving Station property is historic, and not just the core frame. CHiP will continue the court proceedings as long as the station remains in jeopardy and the historic preservation laws and ordinances are not followed and enforced.

The idea that the side yard garden is still much the same as it was over a century ago gives you an idea of what Ocean City looked like before it was over developed. Just looking at the grounds you can see many varieties of trees, plants and flowers, all of which would and will be bulldozed over if allowed to be developed. An interested local science class should conduct a survey of the types and numbers of flora and fauna, most of which are unique to this area and have dwindling space to grow.

A real alternative solution is for the city and the developer to agree to a land swap, at no cost to the taxpayer, or to decrease the amount of the transaction. The Central Ave. Park is of equal value for development, but apparently its current use by a few neighborhood dogs to relieve themselves takes precedence. Other city own land, like the beach front lot at the South End, and other city owned land could still be thrown in the deal to decrease the tax payer’s contribution, and placing new ratables on the tax map.

The $3 million being considered to save the property as it is will be offset by state, federal and private contributions, and will be worthwhile when the “Private Property – Keep Out” sign is taken down and it becomes public property that can be enjoyed and experienced by all the citizens of the community.

[William Kelly is co-founder of CHiP – Citizens for Historic Preservation. He can be reached at billykelly3@yahoo.com ]