New OG pier opens. : 4/15/23 Paul Goldfinger photograph. Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge. Historic image.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net.
1891. 500 foot pier is built at Embury Avenue at cost of $4,060. It was built to supply support for sewage pipe. Stokes’ idea.
Another pier was built at boardwalk north end, but it came down in a subsequent storm.
North End pier destruction:
1922 Embury Pier damage in a storm; rebuilt. Also 1929 and 1938 and others.
1962. Ash Wednesday storm. Jersey Shore hit hard.
Nov, 1992: a devastating nor’easter hits the Grove and destroys the pier. Don’t miss the link below.
Paul Goldfinger photograph; sunrise. 2002. OG pier
2004. Paul Goldfinger photo
2011 Hurricane Irene:
Hurricane Irene 2011. Nasty storm. Destructive
October 29, 2012 . Sandy hits and damages pier and boardwalk in Ocean Grove, NJ.
Bob Bowné. Sandy. Shortly after, the Fishing Club and the distal pier vanishes. 10/29/2012. Award winning photograph for Bob.
Walking on the pier the next day. 10/30/2012. Police asked them to come off. Paul Goldfinger photo.
2012. Day after Sandy hit . Paul Goldfinger.
The pier is repaired out to 250 feet. The original length was 500 feet.
11/1/13. Paul Goldfinger photo. Pier remains after Sandy.
7//9/14. Paul Goldfinger photo. Post-Sandy
5/16/14 FEMA refuses to pay for pier:
Blogfinger post:
“Just when the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) thought that everything was going right, the local FEMA project office notified the CMA that the fishing pier was ruled ineligible for FEMA public assistance because it is entirely recreational (unlike the boardwalk) and it falls under the rules for nonprofit entities. This notification was received on May 16, 2014.” It came after the CMA thought that FEMA would pay for the pier. This was a huge disappointment .
2015 Bob Bowné. Ocean Grove pier after Sandy.
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2021: An excerpt from a Blogfinger discussion about the pier:
August 2021 update: I may have missed something, but if you actually read Michael Badger’s welcoming statement on page 1 of the 2021 Summer Program Guide, he says, “Architects are drawing up the plans for restoring the pier so that the OGCMA can begin the process of getting permits.”
About a year ago a design for a new pier was publicized. It was in the shape of a cross. We don’t know if that is still gospel, but such a design could be practical in offering more space for fishermen. We had a discussion on BF about pier design.
But we must go back to the post Sandy era (2014). when FEMA refused to pay to fix the pier. You will recall the “public vs private” debates as FEMA tried to figure out what to do. And back in 2007 there were debates about discrimination on the part of the CMA.
And when it comes to the pier, the 800 pound gorilla in the room which has not been discussed publicly is whether OG will ever again permit a private fishing club at the end of the pier.
Our impression is that such a segregated design will never happen again, because the pier is a public thoroughfare. Add to the mix the previous agreement to lease the end for the Fishing Club extends to 2024.
As Uncle Milty would say, “What the hey.”
2/27/22 ( ? 8/22) DEP awards Waterfront Development permit. No local (Neptune) construction permit is required.
Link to dedication. 7/30/22
Blogfinger: “I have some of Avakian’s quotes below, and the most impressive words of the evening were his when he promised that “no future storm could knock down the new pier and that the pier will be bigger, better, taller and longer.”
“The piles will be impressive--up to 60 feet long and driven 20 feet into the sand. The pile caps will be made of cast iron, and there will be “extensions” at the end of the pier which would provide a “pavilion area” where someone could get out of the sun and there will be a place. (? the cross) where lifeguards can survey the ocean and beach areas for safety.”
4/15/2023: Pier is open to the public.
Stays open for the summer of 2023. No problems
Pier opens. 4/15/23. Paul Goldfinger photo.
July 1 2023. NJ.com photo
October 2023. Pier is temporarily closed due to “pilings issues.” Then it is open again , but closed Dec 12, 2023 due to “pilings failure.”
December 24, 2023: Entire pier is closed.
12/24/23. Paul Goldfinger photo. Pier is closed.
NJ.com. “The pier opened in April 2023 but fully closed eight months. (12/12/23) later after three of the 88 newly-installed pilings were broken by waves”
“Loose pilings” are mentioned, and Neptune Township begins to pay attention to “safety worries.”
2/8/24. “Outside engineering firm” hired.
And they say that part of the pier (the old section) is safe–consider reopening.:
April 2024: NJ.com. “In April 2024, the first 243 feet of the pier reopened to the public while an engineering firm continued to evaluate the extension.”
5/22/24. Paul Goldfinger photo Click to enlarge…
5/8/24. Engineers say that the “cross” is a “north-south bump-out”. Fence is completed.
12/24/24. Pier closed. Press confusion about the pier: Click on link below
Press confusion at end of 2024
Oct 6, 2025: New section of OG Pier to close until further notice : Camp Meeting Association announcement:
“After many months of detailed investigation and analysis, we are in receipt of our engineer’s report on the structural sufficiency of the pier addition. Regrettably, we have been advised by our engineers that the pier extension may not be structurally sound enough to be used safely. Accordingly, the end of the pier will continue to be closed for the foreseeable future while we pursue remedial options. Thank you for your patience.”
This is how it looks in 2025:
OG pier, distal end as seen in 2025. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once to enlarge. Blogfinger.net End of pier to close. (See below).
January 2026:
OG pier January 2026. Paul Goldfnger photo. Click to enlarge
LOS LOBOS: “Sabor a Mi”.