This is a rendering of the proposed Asbury Park Museum planned for Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park.
The Asbury Park Museum and Interfaith Neighbors, Inc. announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding this week wherein Interfaith Neighbors commits to offer a long term lease to the Asbury Park Museum for space in the soon to be built Marmora Center on Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park.
The approximately 1,400 square feet of space will be on the ground floor of the center, which will be a mixed-use development project to be undertaken by Interfaith Neighbors. It is scheduled for the 1200 block of Springwood Avenue, within the Neighborhood Commercial Zone of the Springwood Avenue Redevelopment Area.
Interfaith Neighbors is the developer/owner of the Marmora Center and will function as property manager for the facility.
The Asbury Park Museum is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, dedicated to preserving the history of greater Asbury Park. While the Asbury Park Museum still intends to establish a larger, city museum in the future, the initial launch of this Springwood Avenue museum will showcase the history and culture of the city’s West Side. The exhibitions of the West Side, will include its origin and growth, churches, theaters, music venues and businesses during the glory days of Springwood Avenue. The museum’s music themed exhibits will explore the West Side’s contribution to Spirituals, Ragtime, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Rhythm and Blues, Doo Wop, Rock & Roll and Soul music. Much, but not all, of the West Side’s music is African American. The museum will also include Indigenous musicians’ brass bands, Italian American doo wop groups and other music genres.
Over time, the museum will rotate some of the exhibits to showcase a cross section of the city’s history including downtown Cookman Avenue business district, legendary locals of Asbury Park and more, while continuing to feature the deep-rooted history of Asbury Park’s West Side.
On display will be over a hundred artifacts, including rare photographs, posters, musical instruments, uniforms, records and sheet music. Interactive kiosks will encourage visitors to dig deeper into subject matter. Monitors will allow visitors to view interviews and musical performances. Listening stations will help visitors experience familiar and unfamiliar music genres. Rotating exhibits are planned to examine specialty topics.
Located at 1212 Springwood Avenue, the Asbury Park Museum in the Marmora Center will occupy the space that once housed the Royal Theatre during the 1910s and 1920s, and the Capitol Tavern from the late 1930s through the 1960s. The West Side music component of the new Asbury Park Museum is intended to compliment other projects currently underway to preserve West Side history, including the Turf Club renovation (next door) and Springwood Avenue Rising’s Vibrant Places walking tour.