UPSTAGE BUILDING SOLD

The building which housed one of Asbury Park's seminal rock venues was sold just before a scheduled auction.

The building at Cookman and Bond which housed the Upstage Club, where Bruce Springsteen and other rockers jammed in the late 1960s and early '70s, has been placed under contract by an unidentified buyer.

The minimum starting bid at the auction was to be $1.1 million. [MORE]

LIQUOR LICENSE RENEWED

After a spirited public hearing, the City Council renewed the liquor license of the Brickwall Tavern and Dining Room on Cookman Avenue.

A downtown business owner told the council that he had to move from a residence above the Brickwall because of noise from amplified musical entertainment offered there.

An attorney for the owners of the tavern said that there have been no violations of the city's noise ordinance. [MORE]

PAID BEACHFRONT PARKING RESUMES

Paid parking at the city's beachfront resumed on Mon., June 15.

A fee of $1 an hour is being charged to park on Ocean Avenue, with a limit of three hours. A rate of 50 cents per hour is charged to park on other streets near the ocean, with no time limit. There is no metered parking north of Eighth Avenue.

Residents in the beachfront area who have meters in front of their homes can purchase a $30 permit which would let them park in metered slots other than those on Ocean Avenue. Those residents have to demonstrate a need for such a permit.

A guest permit is also being offered to those residents for $100 a year. [MORE]

SMOOTH THURSDAY AT THE PONY

By FORREST OLD

The room, aside from the stage itself, was lit just enough for people to maneuver their way through. Multiple bars speckled the landscape. The smell of cigarettes trickled in from outdoors.

Most prominent, though, were the walls, running out of real estate for the signed guitars and photos of past performers. The history emanating from each item my eyes touched upon began to wind up my nerves. [MORE]

TILLIE'S FATE

What will become of the iconic image removed from the Palace Amusements building before it was torn down as a part of the city's oceanfront redevelopment?

Supporters of Tillie want agreements between the state, city and developers to be honored.

But Gary Mottola of redevelopment partner Madison Marquette said other preservation projects may be more worthy. [MORE]