Spring Lake

Spring Lake — The Irish Riviera at Its Peak

Spring Lake was the most fashionable resort on the Jersey Shore in 1920 — its grand hotels, private beach pavilions, and the beautiful Spring Lake itself made it the destination for New York's Irish Catholic elite, earning its nickname "The Irish Riviera." The 1920 aerial shows the ordered resort grid, the lake at the center of the community, and a wide, generous beach in front of the boardwalk area. By 1933, the hurricane had damaged the beachfront but Spring Lake's substantial infrastructure held up better than most shore towns. The 1962 view, taken after the Ash Wednesday Storm, shows the erosion that had narrowed the beach significantly from its 1920 width.