Community Objects to Wasteful Demolition of the Historic Sandlass House at Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook, NJ: May 6, 2025 — The Jersey Coast Heritage Museum, New Jersey elected officials, concerned citizens and the preservation community are urgently requesting that the National Park Service (NPS) rescind its decision to demolish the historic Sandlass House located within the National Historic Landmark at Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook. The combined effect of recent letters from elected officials and preservation experts to the NPS is extraordinarily powerful in recognizing this local historical significance. This irreplaceable piece of New Jersey’s cultural and architectural heritage, which even predates the construction of Officers’ Row, is wrongfully slated for demolition, despite a decade of hard-fought efforts to preserve it. Preservation would avoid wasting federal dollars, by garnering private investment to save a significant historic home, as has already been accomplished with other properties through the leasing program at Sandy Hook.

The Jersey Coast Heritage Museum has reached out through legal means to the NPS for clarification of its demolition plans. The Sandlass House, built in 1893 from the remnants of one of America’s first roller coasters, is the last remaining structure of the once-thriving Highland Beach Resort. The Resort transformed Sandy Hook into a vibrant community of seaside entertainment, and the Sandlass House served as the central hub of the Resort. Demolishing this historic symbol would incur enormous wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars and would ignore access to private funding for rehabilitation and maintenance of the Sandlass House through the NPS leasing program. In addition, rehabilitation of the Sandlass House would likely contribute to the local heritage tourism economy, providing jobs and an enhanced tax base, as well as saving local history.

What Will Be Lost

The Resort was initially established in 1888 by William Sandlass and served as a a beloved destination for tens of thousands of families for over seven decades, drawing visitors from New York, New Jersey, and beyond, until the state seized it by eminent domain in 1962. “This house isn’t just a building—it’s a symbol of the Jersey Shore’s rich history and the memories of generations who cherished Highland Beach,” said Dina Long, former Sea Bright Mayor and spokesperson for the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum. “Demolishing it would erase a tangible connection to the past.”

Our Best Efforts

Since the property was transferred to the National Park Service in 1972, the Sandlass House has faced neglect. Over the last ten years, the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum has spearheaded efforts to restore and repurpose the building including:

• Submitting multiple viable proposals to restore and repurpose the house;

• Securing bipartisan support from local, state, and national leaders;

• Gathering over 3,000 petition signatures in favor of preservation; and

• Enlisting local community members and existing lessees who have expressed a strong interest in renovating the property.

Despite these initiatives, NPS has obstructed progress at every turn, creating additional roadblocks that culminated in the decision to demolish the house.

A Call to Action

The decision to raze the Sandlass House was made unilaterally by NPS personnel, without considering alternatives at the historic site or the outpouring of public support for its preservation – and without even complying with the applicable legal requirements. The Jersey Coast Heritage Museum and the broader preservation community are urging the National Park Service to:

1.      Immediately halt demolition plans and allow access for emergency repairs.

2.      Engage with the community to implement preservation plans.

3.      Honor its federal stewardship responsibilities by protecting this historic property.

“We’re not asking for a miracle,” said Susan Sandlass Gardiner, Author, Sandy Hook’s LOST Highland Beach Resort, “We’re asking for the National Park Service to fulfill its mission of preserving the past for future generations and for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. They can readily accomplish this, at virtually no cost, by allowing the property to be made available through the leasing program. The Sandlass House deserves restoration, not destruction, as a testament to the region’s history.”

Join the Fight to Save the Sandlass House!

Community members are strongly encouraged to contact local officials and share support on social media using #SaveSandlassHouse. To learn more about the Resort’s history, visit www.jchmorg.me.

Contact: Don Krueger

Organization: Jersey Coast Heritage Museum Phone: 484-802-8938

Email: qqssqqs@gmail.com 

Reactions to the Demolition Announcement

“The loss of the Sandlass House is avoidable and would be regrettable. This is a unique, historical local home that can be renovated and should be preserved. There are plenty of interested groups and individuals willing to help with its preservation, so we encourage National Park Service to reconsider and work with the local towns and individuals to do so.” ---Brian Kelly, Mayor of Sea Bright

“I believe anytime we get rid of history, such as the Sandlass House, we erase Americana and that's tragic. This house represents just that Americana, a time when Sandy Hook was a vibrant and memorable experience for so many Americans. As the Executive Director of the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, our committee fought long and hard to preserve the T. Thomas Fortune House, which was in the crossharis of being demolished. Now it is a vibrant Cultural Center in Red Bank that serves the community and beyond by bringing all cultures together to celebrate all of who we are. The Sandlass House should be preserved as a gateway to a time that should not be so easily erased. Peace.” --- Gilda Rogers, Exec. Dir. of T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, Red Bank, NJ

“The expense of preserving a cultural touchstone such as the Sandlass House should not be calculated purely in dollars and cents. The permanent loss of a piece of history comes at a much higher cost. We deprive future generations of the physical and emotional context of what is ‘worth preserving’ when they face similar value judgments down the road. It is a form of bureaucratic theft—which is all the more frustrating when a ‘not-worth-saving’ determination comes at the end of a decision chain characterized by indifference, indecision and neglect.” —Mark Stewart, Twin Lights Historical Society, NJ

“This building stands like a lonely sentinel to the past. A glorious past of many decades, filled with banners flying above bathhouses on warm summer days, a carousel, bathing pavilion, hotel, restaurant, boardwalk, theater and a unique bamboo garden. Generations of beachgoers, in the hundreds of thousands, beginning in 1888 spent pleasant days here that linger in the memories of countless families and lovers of the New Jersey Shore. The house is built from timbers salvaged from one of the very first roller coasters on the Northern Jersey Shore. It has so much left to give to future generations because of one simple fact, it sits on a spot unique in all the United States. Located under the Twin Lights and along a stretch of sand dividing the Shrewsbury River from the Atlantic by a mere 150 yards, the Sandlass House is situated under the Highlands which have been the first sight of land for centuries of ocean travelers entering New York Harbor. The loss of this sentinel to our community’s past is hard to understand and would be questioned for decades to come.” ---Frank Smith, Jersey Coast Heritage Museum, Vice-President

“As the first ones to lease, restore and save a home on Officers Row, we believe it’s much better for the taxpayers to save the exorbitant demolition costs, and for the park visitors to be able to access more lodging. This could be a win for everyone.” ---Brian Samuelson, NPS Gateway lessee at Sandy Hook, NJ (www.sandyhookrentals.com)

“The news of the demolition of the Sandlass House despite so much progress in developing a plan for its future, including funding possibilities, is more than disturbing. It demonstrates a lack of appreciation for its national historical significance, given Highland Beach's impact on the lives of thousands of leisure seeking citizens in multiple northeast states since the dawn of the development of the Jersey Shore.

Monmouth County will suffer the loss of a significant landmark that should have been celebrated in its restoration, not diminished in its demolition. I would also like to express my gratitude to my sister, Susan Gardiner, as well as the many dedicated supporters and volunteers that worked tirelessly these years to realize Sandlass House's revitalization. Valuable history of Highland Beach that was lost has now been recovered and can be enjoyed by all of us and generations to come.” ---Hank Sandlass, Founder’s Family, Highland Beach Resort

About the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum

The Jersey Coast Heritage Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the rich history of New Jersey's northernmost coastal community. (www.jchmorg.me)