Note: This church was purchased by the Borough of Bradley Beach last year from the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for $1.3 million.
Now there is a controversy as to whether the property should be sold to a developer or renovated into a community center.
This week’s Coaster ran a front page piece on this topic. Blogfinger post below is from 2016.
The First United Methodist Church (1886) at the corner of Lareine and Madison Avenues in Bradley Beach. There is no sign outside. Paul Goldfinger photograph. October, 2015. © The wing shown below is visible along the right edge of the building.
This is a wing of the church on Madison Avenue. We don’t know what its function is, but now you almost know the rest of the story. Paul Goldfinger photos. 2015 ©
This is James Bradley, the founder of Asbury Park, who was also a pioneer in OG and Bradley Beach. Paul Goldfinger photo Feb 7, 2016. This is at the foot of Sunset Park, with James facing the Paramount Theatre in A. Park. ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ. 2015.
James Bradley, a wealthy businessman from New York, founded Asbury Park. He was an admirer of Ocean Grove and bought the first lot from the Camp Meeting in 1870. He liked the area so much that he purchased 500 acres south of Fletcher Lake along the ocean. That land became Bradley Beach.
In 1886 he dismantled an Asbury Park Dutch Reformed church and somehow brought it to Bradley Beach and created the First United Methodist Church.
As many of you Grovers know, if you bike or walk in this area, you can discover many neat things. Stephen Goldfinger came upon this landmark during a walk last week. He was following Pennsylvania Avenue into BB where it became Madison Ave. We went over to check it out and “found” this beautiful historic church.
—Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
HOT CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO. “It’s Not Exactly a Sonata—-For Renata.”
From their album Claire de Lune:
