The Church Avenue School in Long Branch.   This was a historic school but now it has been repurposed into rental apartments. Paul Goldfinger photo.     10/31/23.

This school was built in 1891. It sold for $550,000 at auction in 2014 after years of failed deals.  The budget to renovate it was $11.5 million.   Now it contains beautiful apartments with original  windows and wood floors.   But no elevators. Our reporter has been inside.

One of the current tenants is a Grover who sold her OG house and is loving living here. Long Branch’s downtown is coming back, but the ocean  front with many high rise buildings is like Miami Beach.

Our prize winner is Sharon Lunden of Goshen, NY.  She describes herself as a “long time lurker, having found Blogfinger during hurricane Sandy and the messy aftermath.”      So that makes her a “Blooger.”   She says that she is a “longer time OG fan.”

She says, “My grandparents took us to OG back when there was a salt water pool. So I’m old!”

We will send Sharon her prize as soon as we can find a tube that’s long enough.

Meanwhile I sent her a photo:

Sharon’s reaction:  “Cool–is that a money plant?   Or small aliens in a vase?”

Paul Goldfinger,  Editor,  Blogfinger.net.

MAX RAABE: