Ocean Avenue, summer of 1918. Photograph by a guest at the Ocean Avenue House. Submitted by Rich Amole, researcher/reporter @Blogfinger.
“Hi Paul:
“This is a photo which a guest took while staying at the Ocean Avenue House in the summer of 1918. Currently that hotel is called the Shawmont. It is from the 2nd floor balcony with the view of Ocean Avenue, looking north.
The North End complex can be seen along with lots of available parking on Ocean Ave. Perhaps this was a Sunday.
“The photo is from the personal collection of Faith Daniels, the former owner of the the hotel. The neat thing is that it is a person’s own photograph and has not been seen as a postcard image. Of course, in 1931 the Hotel became the Shawmont Hotel succeeding the Ocean Avenue Hotel.”
From the same group of 1918 photographs submitted by Rich Amole.. Arrow points to the Ocean Avenue House. You can see the “Angel of Victory” statue where the current flag pole is.
Angel of Victory statue celebrates the Battle of Monmouth (Revolutionary War.) Blogfinger post.
Editor’s note: Rich Amole has compiled a comprehensive history of the Shawmont Hotel.
There is a 2012 Blogfinger post about the Angel of Victory statue. The link is below. Some years ago there was a fund raising effort to restore that statue, but it did not succeed.
Angel of Victory 2012 Blogfinger post
David H.Fox commented today. (11/09/22). :” A center of 4th of July ceremonies was the flagpole at the foot of Main Ave. This was called “Monmouth Place” in honor of the Revolutionary War battle. A zinc statue called the “Angel of Victory” stood here until a 1922 storm.”
THE CAST OF A LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA: “Statues and Stories” by Adam Guettel
“It’s a new old world and we are finally here.”
Ocean Ave. was paved with the present concrete slabs in 1931 and Main Ave. in 1929. The shoulders were originally loose gravel since covered with asphalt. The distinctive low concrete street signs on Ocean Ave. likely date from the paving, though they seemingly went unmentioned in the press.