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The Asbury Park Historical Society will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow to develop a plan of action for recovering a historic set of panels.  The panels, pictured above, reportedly went missing from Convention Hall last year.

Boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette reported the 34 panels stolen from Convention Hall, said Celia Morrissette Johnson, president of the society. The group hopes to get insight from the community on how to deal with the issue, she said.

“These artifacts are part of our heritage and part of what makes Asbury so special,” Johnson said.

Convention Hall, which was built in 1929, is listed on national and state historic registries, Johnson said. The green-tinged, decorative copper panels hung below the building’s second-floor windows. They were reportedly removed by Madison Marquette for inspection of the building.

“It’s a beautiful building and the fact that these were taken down supposedly to inspect the structure and they disappeared, is something we all need more information on,” Johnson said. She is unsure if representatives from Madison Marquette will attend tomorrow’s meeting.

In total, the panels weigh 5.5 tons, Johnson said. Each one is 16 feet long and four feet high.

The copper itself is valued at about $50,000, but “frankly, I think it’s priceless,” Johnson said. A Madison Marquette official told the Asbury Park Sun the value of the panels is in excess of $100,000.

All members of the public are invited to the discussion tomorrow, Saturday, March 31, at 10 a.m. at the Stephen Crane house at 508 Fourth Ave. in Asbury Park.

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