Postcard circa 1967: Courtesy of Mark Ihrie
 
 
Asbury Park, New Jersey -- 1213 Boardwalk
 
 
Photograph copy circa 1965: Courtesy of Scott Banksanks
 
 
Photograph 2005: Courtesy of Scott Banks
 
 
Photographs 2003: Courtesy of Mark Ihrie
 
 
 
 
 
 

Not only was a Howard Johnson's Restaurant in the round unorthodox, but it was also an unusual design choice given Asbury Park's other nearby buildings done in the "Beaux Arts" style of a prior era.

Influenced by the crispness of the Jet/Space age, John Duhring Fridy (1908-2000) designed the unique complex which housed the out-of-the-ordinary HoJo's.

Scott Banks who visited the site in 2005 discovered a brief display about Asbury Park's history including the historic photograph that has been reproduced on this page.
Photographs 2003: Courtesy of Bob Venditti
 
 

Information that Mr. Banks gathered from Asbury Park indicated that the "New Fifth Avenue Pavilion," as the complex which included the Howard Johnson's was called, opened in 1963. It was hailed as "modern architecture," and served to compliment the Boardwalk's existing late 19th and early 20th century structures.

In addition to the HoJo's, the Pavilion offered retail store-front space along the Boardwalk and also a roof-top stage named for bandleader Arthur Pryor. Most of the Pavilion is slated for demolition or has already been demolished. The photo below shows part of HoJo's ramp had already been removed by the time of Scott's visit.

 
 
Photograph 2005: Courtesy of Scott Banks