Long Branch Building Deemed 'Imminent Hazard' Set For Demolition

LONG BRANCH, NJ - Long Branch city officials are demanding that the Sea View Towers apartment complex be torn down immediately following a Wednesday site inspection.

The owners of the aging structure, Chatham-based David Cronheim Company, were given a demand letter on Jan. 14 to tear the building down immediately due to safety concerns.

"Due to the condition of the south building associated with Seaview Towers, the building has been found to be an imminent hazard, and immediate demolition is recommended," reads a statement from the city engineer on the city's municipal website.

The building demolition will not happen Friday and may take up to several days, according to Long Branch Business Administrator George Jackson.

“We’ve had a few residents alarmed that the building would be leveled today, that’s not the case,” Jackson said.

The business administrator reports that the building’s owners have been cooperating with the local government. Although the demolition process will be expedited, all demolition will be performed by a licensed contractor and occur in accordance with standard practices, including the implementation of proper safety measures, barricading, removal of hazardous materials, disposition of building material and site cleanup.

Jackson tells Patch that the demand comes following the city engineer's examination of the twin buildings on Jan. 13, deeming the south tower an “unsafe structure.” While Jackson says the Sea View Towers aren’t necessarily ready to collapse at any moment, Long Branch officials have determined that the only solution is to have the building demolished.

“It’s beyond repairs,” Jackson said.

The structure, built in 1955 and vacant for at least 15 years, has drawn an array of safety concerns in recent years, according to an Asbury Park Press report. The roof of the south tower caved in last fall and the building is “slowly rotting."

In December 2020, the property owner was issued a citation for an unsafe structure and an order that the structure be torn down, according to the publication. The order is being appealed to the Monmouth County Construction Board of Appeals with a hearing date set for Jan. 21.

"We have notified the property owners and if they do not demolish the south tower, we will do it. A lien will be put on the property and this will not be an expense to the taxpayers. This building needs to come down as soon as possible," Mayor John Pallone said in a statement Thursday.

According to the municipal website, residents can expect road closures in the area of North Bath to South Bath Ave to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Part of the boardwalk will also be sectioned off.