---

Photographs of Asbury Park taken just after World War II by one of Asbury’s own will be on display at The Gallery 13 throughout the month of November.

The majority of large-scale black and white prints, shot by 92-year-old Asbury Park native Edward Noumair, depict Asbury Park from an aerial perspective [shown above].

Noumair graduated from Asbury Park High School in 1939, where he first learned to operate a camera through classes offered at the time. Photography and Asbury Park have been passions for Ed Noumair ever since, according to his daughter, Margaret Katz, who teaches at Thurgood Marshall School in the city.

Upon graduation, Noumair opened his own photography studio on Summerfield Avenue. He also worked as the school’s yearbook photographer, taking every student portrait up until 1999 when he closed his final location on Bangs Avenue. Beckman’s Deli now occupies the location.

During World War II, Noumair shut down his studio and joined the Marines. While on duty, he was trained to take aerial photographs. Upon his return from the war, he reopened his studio and continued his work with portraiture.

One day Noumair decided to grab his camera and take a drive to the old Schlossbach Airport on Rt. 66 where he paid $15 to take a ride in a single engine plane so he could shoot Asbury Park and the surrounding area from an aerial perspective.

While up in the air, Noumair gave instructions to the pilot which he learned from his training in the service, telling the pilot to slow down, which way to tilt the plane and when to cut the engine, Katz said.

Noumair did this on several occasions, forming a collection of aerial shots of Asbury Park that are four decades old. Katz recently found the negatives and prints sitting in Noumair’s office and decided people needed to see them, she said.

“They are incredibly interesting to see,” she said.

The aerial black and white photographs reveal a historic view of Asbury’s famous boardwalk, buildings and hotels that no longer exist, parks and shoreline, she said.

While the majority of the prints are aerial shots, there are also photographs of Asbury Park taken from the ground included in the show. They include a panel of photographs that document the historic fire that burned the top floor of the Steinbach building back in the early ’90s.

“People new to this area have no idea that there was a fire in that building,” Katz said.

Katz would also like to enlist the help of people who attend the show.

“We are interested in people helping us date some of these pictures by letting us know when there homes were built because there are so many open lots and  it is fascinating to study these photographs,” she said.

Gallery 13 will showcase “Aerial Asbury” during the entire month of November. Opening receptions will be held on Saturday, Nov, 2 from 6 p.m. t0 10 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 3 from noon to 5 p.m., where Noumair will be on hand to share the stories behind the shots he took.

Noumair still shares his passion for photography with students at The Rugby School in Woodfield where he teaches photographic composition and technique one day a week.

Proceeds of the show benefit the Asbury Park Historical Society.

The Gallery 13 is located in the Shoppes at the Arcade at 658 Cookman Avenue, Suite 5.

————————————————————

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook and Twitter.

 

---