America was in a wonderful mood. The war was over, the UN Headquarters, which would be located in New York, seemed like it would keep the world at peace. Big Bands were everywhere, but popular music and jazz were making inroads. Many large ballrooms closed, but people still wanted dining and dancing.
The new United Nations UN/DPI - Image from http://www.dh100.se
By 1948 the Tremont was suffering. It needed more than a refresh. The demand for entertainment and the location on the Beach at Chicago Blvd saved it for the next few generations.
Gus Steck publicity photo
Newark’s Gustave, “Gus” Steck, was a big band orchestra leader who led the house band at the Chanticleer in Chatham, NJ in the late ‘30s, and then the Brook in Summit, which burned down in 1947. He spent summers at the Berkeley Carteret in Asbury Park, and used his musical earnings to purchase the Tremont. He brought his brand of music to Sea Girt, He catered to adults, while the young set went to bars, so he built something for them too.
New awnings, new restaurant, new roof and a killer view
He restored the Tremont’s 100 rooms. It took a year, and many local contractors, like Ernie Westphal, owner of the Beacon House. The results were well received, and the new place was a source of pride in the community.
Steck had a restaurant and a bar built on the second floor looking over the ocean, enclosed in glass. Decked out in green, dubonnet, and white, it was called the Surf Room, with a seahorse theme, and he maintained a formal setting for dining, with air conditioning. Full dinners were moderately priced, starting at $2.75, and included a V-8, fruit salad, soup, a shrimp cocktail, and entrees like broiled scallops, Hungarian Goulash, and Hawaiian Ham steak. Dessert of jello, cake, or ice cream was included. The bar sold cocktails and there was nightly dancing after 9 PM. The killer view was the best at the Shore.
Recording of Steck’s Orchestra
On the beach level below he opened the “Milk Bar” to sell ice cream to the kids and the “Sand Bar” to sell drinks to adult bathers. He lived in the town with much of his family and was a fixture at his establishment each summer, before jetting off to Florida.
Steck continued to operate the suit-and-tie restaurant and seasonal beach bar, occasionally bringing famous radio personalities to the venue throughout the 60s.