Circus Drive-In May Be Gone, But Clown Sign Will Survive In Wall

WALL, NJ — When the Circus Drive-In was demolished in May 2018, the only thing that remained was the iconic clown sign, smiling over an empty lot on Route 35 in Wall.

That sign may not be there much longer, but it's not destined for the scrap heap, either.

The owners of the property, Circus Partners LLC, have offered to donate the clown sign to the township so it can be preserved as a part of the town's history, NJ.com reported.

Circus Partners bought the property in September 2017 for $1.75 million, and in May 2018 tore down the drive-in restaurant, which had stood at the site since the 1950s.

The clown sign has been all that remained of the building, which had been a landmark since Richard Friedel opened the business May 1, 1954, according to an Asbury Park Press newsclipping shared on the Facebook page Down The Shore.

The business closure and the demolition of the restaurant prompted a flood of memories shared in a number of Facebook groups.

The NJ.com report said town officials were receptive to the idea of receiving the sign. "Where it would go, that’s something that would have to be decided on," Wall Township Committeeman Dominick DiRocco told the publication.

Circus Partners is planning to put 12,000 square feet of retail space on the site.

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