New Edition Book Highlights Ocean Grove Architecture with Historic Overview of Grassroots Advocacy
- Maria Boyes
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
Thirty-five years ago, out of frustration to the indifference of preserving historic architecture, A Home Renovator’s Guide for Historic Ocean Grove was published. This book, originally illustrated in black and white, was author Jennifer Boyd’s response to witnessing the rapid demise of century-old structures while simultaneously taking on a home renovation project of her own. Co-authored with historic preservation consultant Gail Hunton, the original 1989 book won several awards for outstanding journalism, preservation, and planning.
Today, more than 30 years later, this new revised edition with over 100 color photographs updates the architectural guide to Ocean Grove’s iconic house styles while providing practical renovation guidance for homeowners. The expanded book also includes Memories of a Preservationist, the 1980s where Boyd chronicles the community’s battle to preserve this national and state historic district.
“In the 1980s, we realized what we needed was a basic education in what preservation is all about,” Boyd explains. “Preservation brings pride to a community—not to mention improved economic value. It gives people a sense of time and place. Once historic fabric is lost, it’s lost forever.”
The book documents the grassroots campaign when residents came together to raise funds for educational initiatives and to strengthen Neptune Township’s historic preservation ordinance. In December 1986, they launched the town’s first Victorian Christmas House Tour and Festival, raising over $10,000.
“Historic preservation flourishes by way of shared values,” Boyd reflects. “That was certainly true of Ocean Grove. It seemed a story well worth telling.”
Local enthusiasm was bolstered by the statewide recognition of Preservation New Jersey (PNJ). Founder and preservation pioneer Constance Greiff became personally involved in the Ocean Grove effort. By co-sponsoring a workshop for township officials and residents, funded by the local Homeowners Association, Chamber of Commerce, and Hospitality Division, Greiff lead the workshop and oversaw the preparation of design guidelines which were adopted into the township ordinance in 1989 and published for homeowners.
“PNJ’s presence was so important in those early days,” Boyd says. “It elevated what we were doing and got the attention of our township.”
Hunton, who wrote the section Ocean Grove: A Historical Perspective, examines the importance of the 19th-century leisure revolution and how it flourished in the Camp Meeting movement at the seaside. Although preservation has come a long way since the first edition of this book, the work of preservation is far from over.
“We still have a lot of historic preservation struggles in New Jersey,” notes Hunton. She emphasizes that this new guide isn’t just a nostalgic look back—it’s a blueprint for civic activism and citizen-led preservation.
Both Jennifer Boyd and Gail Hunton will be at the House Tour event in Ocean Grove on August 8, 2025. To buy tickets for the tour or to purchase the book online, visit:
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