Convention Hall panels were reported stolen Aug. 2
"The fact that this wasn't shared with anyone — it's a scandal."
A report by the Asbury Park Police Department says 30 antique copper panels once on Convention Hall were reported stolen on Aug. 2, 2011, although the general public was not made aware of the loss until last month.
City manager Terence Reidy said today he was notified of the incident in August, but saw no need to make a public disclosure at the time.
“It was a police investigation, pure and simple,” Reidy said.
The Asbury Park Police Department has investigated the matter, and declared the case closed. “All leads have been exhausted,” said Police Chief Mark Kinmon.
But Dolly Sternesky, secretary of the Asbury Park Historical Society, said the public should have been notified sooner.
“We don’t own the building but this is Asbury Park,” Sternesky said. “We have the most beautiful architecture. You’ll never find this any place, anywhere. The fact that this wasn’t shared with anyone — it’s a scandal.”
The historical society is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can help recover the panels, Sternesky said. They hope other individuals will donate more to increase the reward.
The green-tinged panels were embossed with a decorative design and dated back to 1929, when Convention Hall was constructed. Boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette removed the panels so they could make necessary repairs to the building last year. The Asbury Park Historical Society put the number of panels at 34, while the police report says there were 30.
The estimated weight of the panels is 5.5 tons, and the police report describes them as “four by six foot green copper decorative pieces.”
The Asbury Park Historical Society held an emergency meeting to discuss the alleged theft of the panels on Saturday, March 31. Some members of the society questioned why the public was not made aware of the incident until recently.
The value of the missing 1930s era embossed panels is over $100, 000, a Madison Marquette official told the Sun last week.
Convention Hall, which was built in 1929, is listed on national and state historic registries. To see a photo of the copper panels on Convention Hall, click here for a previous Sun story on the theft. Click here for details on the historical society’s meeting last weekend. The historical society can be reached at 732-869-HIST.
