Demolition ends at Joey Harrison’s Surf Club
The Joey Harrison's Surf Club property in Ortley Beach in early June 2015. (Photo: Justin Auciello/for NewsWorks)
The iconic building that housed Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, the beachfront establishment well-known to generations of people seeking good times in Ortley Beach, is now gone.
Destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, the structure remained in despair until last June, when crews began removing debris strewn across the beach and demolishing a portion of the building.
Heavy machinery ripped apart the remaining building late last month.
The only evidence of the once vibrant club include a foundation and a few pilings on the beach.
Joey Barcellona Jr., whose family owned the club, expressed his feelings on the businesses’ Facebook page:
I spent every summer working & playing there from the time I was 9 years old. I vividly remember walking on that beach for the 1st time after my Dad bought the place. I have all kinds of memories there, great, good, & bad. That’s Life. I personally would love to see the place rebuilt, but that decision is not up to me. My family has been moved by the all the pictures shared by people we know & don’t know. We miss summers there terribly and I personally made my livelihood there, working with some very creative people to do some really cool entertainment events like SurfStock, The Flying Mueller Bros, Saturday Night Disco & Sunday Jam Parties. My fondest memories are from the Teen Nights when my sons were old enough to run them and work on the themes with me. We were all so proud of the place and my Father for creating such a loving & wonderful work place to be in. I use to laugh to myself when people would say you should remodel and make the place more like this place or that place. They didn’t get it. It wasn’t about what the place looked like, it was about the 3 generations of families and beach/club goers who came there. So I guess we’ll see what happens from here. God Bless.
While the property’s future remains unclear, a Toms River official said that the Barcellona family has been considering development options that he doesn’t believe include another club.
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