The Empress Hotel
Map
General information
Location101 Asbury Avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States 07712
Opening1961
OwnerShep Pettibone
Technical details
Floor count4
Other information
Number of rooms101
Number of restaurants1
Website
Official Website

The Empress Hotel is a popular gay resort located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[1]

The Hotel opened as a luxury resort for vacationing families in the 1960s.[2] It was a successful resort, attracting the likes of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.[3]

In 1980, the Empress was featured on the picture sleeve of Bruce Springsteen's hit single "Hungry Heart", which depicts a photo of Springsteen standing near a phone booth on the Asbury Park boardwalk, with the hotel visible in the background. Bruce Springsteen was an early employee of the Empress, where he worked a busboy during the summer of 1962.

By the summer of 1976, Asbury Park was in a state of decline, albeit the Empress Hotel remained a popular establishment. During a New York Times interview, the hotel's manager boasted: "all of our 101 rooms are taken!"[4] Unfortunately, by 1988 the hotel was struggling for business, and closed shortly after.

A strip club, Extreme Fahrenheit, opened in the building in 1993. It became notorious for drugs and prostitution, and was eventually closed because of lewd conduct.[5]

In 1998, Shep Pettibone bought the abandoned building and opened the Paradise Nightclub inside.[6]

The nightclub lured crowds of gay travelers away from Fire Island and instead to the beaches of Asbury Park.[citation needed] The hotel portion reopened in August 2004,[7] and is very popular among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender travelers in New Jersey.[8]

In 2008 a dining establishment, the Ketchup Grill, opened inside. A clothing store, Esphera, catering to gay beach-goers, was added to the ground level in 2008 and is open during the summer months.[citation needed]

The hotel also features a gift shop, lounge, nightclub and outdoor pool.

See also

References

  1. ^ "EMPRESS HOTEL". gay-destinations.com. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Lisa Lamb (2015). Asbury Park Revisited. Arcadia Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-4671-3363-0.
  3. ^ "New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender monthly webzine; New York Q News". www.newyorkqnews.com.
  4. ^ JOE SHARKEY. "The Past Is Dead in Asbury Park, but the Future Is Arriving." New York Times
  5. ^ "Coalition for a Better Waterfront - Jersey City Approves Windfall Gain for Developer who Swindled S&L; out of $ 16 Million". August 17, 2001. Archived from the original on August 17, 2001.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Gay Asbury Park". June 25, 2004. Archived from the original on June 25, 2004.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Gay Asbury Park". February 13, 2005. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Taylor, Elise (August 28, 2019). "The Jonas Brothers Played Their VMA Set at the Coolest Town on the Jersey Shore". Vogue. Retrieved January 27, 2020.

External links

40°13′06″N 74°00′06″W / 40.21838°N 74.00180°W / 40.21838; -74.00180

Asbury Park, New Jersey
LGBT culture in New Jersey
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