15th Ave. beach - George & Ira Gershwin

You are at 15th Avenue Beach, stop #46 on our Treasure Trail. Over the years, Belmar has attracted millions of visitors, including our fair share of celebrities. You can hear more about our Bruce Springsteen connection at stop #1 and stop #16 on the Treasure Trail. But as you stand on this boardwalk right now, let us take you back to the 1920’s, and the iconic Broadway hits of Ira and George Gershwin. Back then, the entire block across the street between 15th and 16th Avenues was taken up by the Atlantic Hotel. This trendy hotel, which catered to a literary and cultural crowd, was owned by the family of Ira Gershwin’s wife. So Ira and George spent many a summer night relaxing and entertaining friends across from Belmar’s oceanfront. Imagine strolling and hearing a live version of “Rhapsody in Blue?!?”

Interestingly, the Atlantic Hotel was one of several in Belmar that were originally part of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition Fair of 1876, better known as the World’s Fair. These former pavilions were sailed by waterways to Belmar then rolled on telephone pole-like logs to their locations. The Atlantic stood as a hotel under several names until it burned to the ground in 1972.