Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk
Begin Your Tour Here
Welcome to the Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk
“Welcome to the Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk! This interactive, self-guided tour was designed to commemorate the businesses that once lined the well-known Springwood Avenue corridor located in the City of Asbury Park’s Westside neighborhood. Imagine a streetscape lined with all the businesses and services that a community could need: grocery stores, drug stores, butcher shops, tailors and a millinery, jazz clubs, restaurants, and (during prohibition) several speakeasies! Springwood Avenue had it all and was the economic centerpiece of this urban community. Beginning in the mid-20th century, Springwood Avenue became a hub of African American life and culture, with jazz and blues clubs interspersed among Black, Italian, Jewish, and Latino-owned small businesses and eateries. It was lovingly referred to as 'The Ave,' and you’ll still hear locals call it that today.
The 1960s and early 1970s were a time of massive protest in the United States. Major movements like the anti-Vietnam War campaign, the civil rights movement, women's liberation, the student movement, and the counterculture movement all took center stage. During this era, young people rejected social norms and voiced their disapproval of racial, ethnic, and political injustices through acts of resistance and, in some cases, revolts. On July 4, 1970, this wave of unrest hit The Ave, as frustrations over inadequate housing, unfair employment practices, and a lack of opportunities for Black and brown youth erupted into seven days of civil unrest. The National Guard eventually brought an end to the turmoil, but not before Springwood Avenue was effectively destroyed. Sadly, it stayed that way for over 40 years.
Sit back and enjoy your virtual stroll along 'The Ave' while you immerse yourself in the history of the Springwood Avenue Corridor.”
-Diane Shelton, Project Lead and Community Outreach Specialist, Interfaith Neighbors
About The Tour
The Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk is a project led by Springwood Avenue Rising, a committee within Interfaith Neighbors dedicated to honoring the past, celebrating the present, and preparing for the future of Springwood Avenue. This StoryMap Collection, titled the Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk, serves as the virtual tour and component of the larger initiative. It aims to equip Interfaith Neighbors and its partners with curated research and content to implement a physical tour successfully. Springwood Avenue's resilience and history are testaments to the power of cultural preservation and the importance of community-led organizing to achieve justice for vibrant communities.
How to Take the Tour Online
This virtual tour is organized by block. Each block features stories and memories from the Springwood Avenue Community. Anchor sites and themes are identified on the blocks to help tell these stories. While these sites and themes are tied to a block, they are part of the wider vision of Springwood Avenue’s Heritage.
The top of this screen shows the names of the streets that intersect Springwood Ave and create the blocks. You can click on these names to advance to that block. Once there, you’ll scroll down the page to view the images, hear the audio, and read the stories of that block.
In the section titled “Springwood Avenue Community Stories,” at the end of the tour, please share your own stories of the Avenue. Whether you visited, lived, or shopped along Springwood Avenue, we want to celebrate your memories.
Mapping the Past
The map below shows the historic buildings of Springwood Avenue, displayed over the current landscape. Although its density has disappeared, the spaces hold memories of its past.
Use the swipe feature to see changes in building footprints from the 1930s to now.
The buildings that contributed to Springwood Avenue's dense vibrancy were destroyed in urban renewal projects after the uprising in 1970, and new buildings and developments have been built. This map does not fully capture the changing landscape of Springwood Avenue throughout the years but rather serves as a tool to try to hold memories in place.
The map below is interactive. Click on the buildings to learn about the various businesses that occupied the space between 1930 and 1970.
The map above shows the historic businesses that lined Springwood Avenue. Please note that the locations and footprints of the building are not precise. Click on an individual building in the map to see more information about what business(es) were there, including a photo (where available), years of operation, and if it was listed in the Green Book or listed in the City’s Directories. For detailed instructions CLICK HERE .
In creating the digital map of the businesses and buildings on the street, some assumptions were made to address information gaps and limitations in data collection. The exact locations of the businesses, including shapes and sizes, are imprecise because there was not an existing map of the Avenue with this information. This map is based on a collection of historic maps and images, including Sanborn Insurance maps from 1919, aerial images from 1963, and addresses listed in city directories and Green Books.
About the Project
This virtual tour is a deliverable from the Vibrant Places Program, funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). This program provides staff support from and technical assistance through a partnership with the Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University to advance local initiatives that promote creative placemaking projects in the NJTPA Region.
While streets serve as a transportation connection, they also provide a space to strengthen the relationships between people and encourage economic growth. We celebrate the vibrancy of Springwood Avenue and share its story as a representation of the multi-dimensional function of street space.
Staff from NJTPA and VTC would like to acknowledge our positions as researchers and planners providing support and technical assistance to local partners in Asbury Park, NJ. We don't have the same in-person experiences as members of the local communities for which we provide support and technical assistance. We respectfully join these partners to celebrate their local history, especially Black history, and assist in developing the Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk.
Our local project partners represent the following organizations:
Documenting the history of the West Side of Asbury Park has been a collaborative effort led by our project partners. With multiple community groups and countless data gathered across different sources and media platforms, content analysis was a crucial step to organizing a heritage walk focused on Springwood Ave between the 1930s and 1970s. VTC collected and analyzed secondary data from project partners, including interviews, maps, and other historical media. Historical desktop research and consistent stakeholder input were additional data-gathering methods used to inform the curation of the historical content included in this tour. Throughout the tour, you will see the data sources credited to their prospective community group, project, or publisher.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the Asbury Park residents, both past and present, who have generously shared their stories and experiences with our project partners to bring this tour to life!
Enjoy the Tour
We welcome you to step into the rich history of Historic Springwood Avenue. Listen closely to the voices of its community members as they weave tales of the past and present. Reflect on historic images and content captured by residents and photographers. And finally, add your own chapter to this narrative by sharing your personal stories and experiences about Springwood Avenue.
