1100 Central and the Larger Story: How Ocean City Can Stop Demolishing its history

Another Sad Goodbye

At 1100 Central Avenue stands a charming single-family home. It isn’t grand. It isn’t flashy. But it is beautiful — a house with soul, intact features, and decades of memories.

The longtime owner, ready to move on, had options. But developers were circling, offering an easy transaction: cash, no inspections, no hassle. Why? 

Because they didn’t care about the house, its beautiful floors, antique lighting or any of its memories or stories. They only cared about one thing:  the lot. Their plan was clear — to tear the house down.

Neighbors tried to rally. When one learned of the pending deal, they worked to find an old-home buyer — someone who would preserve the house and its story. But there wasn’t enough time, even though there were other potential buyers at the asking price. The property never hit the open market. The sale was made quietly. And now, preparations for demolition are already underway. Soon, the home and its history will be reduced to rubble.

What Comes Next at 1100 Central

We don’t know exactly what will rise on the lot, and maybe we will be pleasantly surprised.  But having watched this movie in town over and over again, we have a guess what’s coming. Local builders recycle the same designs: two units, each with five bedrooms and five baths, a tiny kitchen, and a postage-stamp size pool. Almost no yard. A lower level that can be converted into yet another bedroom and bath, and a garage that doubles as a cabana.

In the end: up to 12 bedrooms with no meaningful parking. Twelve couples translates into numerous cars on the street. And as land prices have risen but duplex selling prices have flattened, some developers are using cost-cutting materials — hardwood only on the first floor, carpet above, vinyl siding outside, roof rafters spaced wide. The goal is to build it as big as it can be, with quality coming in a distant second.

Sadly, that’s Ocean City today. And it will only get worse if we don’t do something about it.

Why Is Ocean City So Intent In Erasing Its Charm and History?

The answer is fairly simple. Over the past few decades, people’s rental expectations changed. Families no longer wanted quirky cottages with shared baths and tiny kitchens. They wanted bigger, flashier homes with ensuite bedrooms, pools, and modern amenities — and they were willing to pay a premium for them. And because the homes are mostly developer-built spec homes targeting the rental market— not owner-built homes for family living —they are disposable. Built to last only a short period before the next teardown.

Ocean City’s development-friendly zoning and weak enforcement fed right into this trend. Builders were able to max out every lot, and if they needed more space, the city’s variance-happy zoning board was ready to grant it. Pristine hundred+ year-old homes that had been lovingly cared for, or passed down over generations of families, became tear-downs that lined developer’s pockets for the last twenty years. The result has been a cycle of tear-downs and rebuilds, each larger than the last, overwhelming neighborhoods one house at a time. The destructive cycle threatens to erase our beloved city’s character, and along with the peaceful charm that draws people together in our town, generation after generation, and the lifestyle and ambiance that embodies the heart and soul of America’s Greatest Family Resort.  

The Master Plan Opportunity

In a positive step forward, the City Council has committed to beginning a Master Plan process for Ocean City.  This is an opportunity to step back and ask whether our zoning approach has gone too far. Do we want every lot maxed out to the last inch? Do we want streets crowded with cars because bedrooms are valued more than parking?  Do we want every house to look like the next?

The master plan process is an opportunity to build more appreciation for open space, grass, sunlight, and breathing room. The cottages and smaller homes that remain show us how different Ocean City feels when there’s a yard, a tree, or just a little space between houses. A thoughtful Master Plan could rebalance the equation — protecting livability while still allowing progress.

Making Old Homes Competitive Again

But zoning reform alone won’t save our history. We also need to make old homes as valuable as new builds.

How do you do that?

• Find more old-home buyers. Expand the pool of preservation-minded people who can compete with developers.

• Create financial incentives. Grants, tax breaks, and financing tools can all help buyers choose preservation.

• Build community. Old-home buyers should feel that they are buying into a network of like-minded people who share knowledge, friendship, and support. This is especially important for newly-arrived retirees looking to build additional connections and friendships. 

• Invest in historic districts. Benches, lights, landscaping, and design improvements will make historic areas even more attractive.

Other towns have shown it can be done. In Cape May, Savannah, and St. Augustine, old homes carry a premium. Why? Because they were turned into prized commodities. Ocean City can do the same.

Friends of OCNJ’s Mission

At Friends of OCNJ History & Culture, we are committed to breaking the teardown cycle. We respect that many families rely on the value of their homes as their retirement fund. Preservation should not diminish that value — it should strengthen it.

By expanding the pool of buyers, offering incentives, and creating a culture of pride and community around our historic homes, we can make preservation not just a sentimental choice but a smart economic choice.

1100 Central Avenue may soon be gone. But the larger story is still unfolding; more than 1200 old homes still exist on the island.  If Ocean City embraces its history as a prized commodity, the cottages and bungalows that remain can hold – and even surpass – the cookie-cutter duplex.

That is the future we’re working toward, and we invite you to be a part of it.  With a growing  mailing list, and an energized community, our impact is multiplying. Together, we can safeguard Ocean City’s past and lay the foundation for a better future.