Provided/This lovely Queen Anne-style home is located at Atlantic and Oxford avenues in the St. Leonard’s Tract neighborhood of Ventnor City, NJ. Its style is similar to the home owned by Rodman Wanamaker, son of Philadelphia department store mogul John Wanamaker, which was located in the Wanamaker Tract.
VENTNOR – St. Leonard’s Tract, one of the Jersey Shore’s most historic neighborhoods, will celebrate its 100th anniversary July 30 at St. James Memorial Hall. The celebration was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on Saturday evening, residents will gather with friends and local dignitaries to celebrate the milestone with hors d’oeuvres and desserts, wine and beer and music by Lefty’s 1200 Club Band.
Nestled between the beach and bay from Surrey to Cambridge avenues, the tract includes more than 100 historic homes with storied pasts, including residents and visitors such as U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Lyndon Johnson, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, Charles Lindbergh, legendary songwriter Irving Berlin, Frank “Hap” Farley, Paul “Skinny” D’Amato of Rat Pack fame and Anna Palmer, Francis Scott Key’s great-granddaughter.
President Bill Clinton stayed at 111 S. Cornwall Ave. in 2018 when he attended a party for Marjorie Mezvinsky.
St. Leonard’s Association is one of the oldest continuously operating homeowner associations in the U.S. and promotes and protects the area’s unique charm and colorful history, original architecture, gardens and tree lined streets. The late Vivian Smith, the architect of Ventnor City Hall, Ocean City Hall, Ocean City Music Pier and The Flanders Hotel, designed many of the homes and the neighborhood’s streets were named after English dukes.
“Many homes in the tract have stayed in the families for generations and new homes are often designed blend into our neighborhood’s existing architecture,” St. Leonard’s Association President Bill Sill said in a news release. “It’s a very peaceful, serene and friendly neighborhood. Our association provides a platform for our members to interact as well as to undertake civic initiatives.”
“Derby Hall” was built by volunteers in 1907 and once hosted the Ventnor Motor Boat Club. During Prohibition, the house was a rumrunner drop spot and the secret entrance for rum smuggling still exists. It was also a school. Today, it is a private home.
Resident Tina LoBiondo is co-chairing the celebration with Dawn Sena.
“Our beloved St. Leonard’s Tract has a real sense of community. We look after one another’s property and are excited to celebrate this remarkable centennial anniversary,” LoBiondo said.
The grand, stately homes in St. Leonard’s Tract were built prior to the establishment of zoning regulations, and the association’s deed restrictions, established in 1921, ensure the unique character of the neighborhood is preserved. Many of the homes were built in the 1920s by Atlantic City entrepreneur Emmanuel Katz, known during Prohibition as the “Jersey Rum Runner.” Duplexes are prohibited and most of the oversized lots cannot be subdivided.
In August 2021, the association held a public ceremony to unveil a flagpole with the American Flag, a St. Leonard’s Tract pennant, and a bronze plaque to recognize the neighborhood’s significant history at the Jersey Shore and one of the oldest continuously operating homeowners associations in the United States. The group also purchased and installed new street signs that designate the area as historic.
Distinctive new signs mark the streets in Ventnor’s St. Leonard’s Tract.
“We are excited to have our existing neighbors and new neighbors salute this milestone together at such a fun-filled day,” Sena said about the celebration.
For more information about events and membership, see stleonardstract.org/news, Facebook @StLeonardsTract, or email stleonardstract@gmail.com.
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