The "Iconic Shelter Haven Hotel" Story

The Shelter Haven Basin is seen in this view of Stone Harbor.

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished down- loading the photos I took of the 37-room hotel known as The Reeds at Shelter Haven which is located at the corner of 96th Street and Third Avenue in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.  Neat place that is the third generation hostelry to sit on one of the main corners of the seashore town that has a population of 847 during most of the year, but swells to many times that in the summer months.  For years my family has visited neighboring Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Avalon, but recently Carol and I have made frequent visits to Stone Harbor to stay with my cousin and his wife as well as making visits with my brother and sister-in-law during their annual fall week to the town.  

The original Shelter Haven Hotel.

During those years of travel to Stone Harbor I can remember the second building that stood on that corner known as the Shelter Haven Motel which eventually was demolished as was the original Shelter Haven Hotel which was originally constructed and opened in 1912.  In 1910, when the town of Stone Harbor was in its infancy, brothers Frank and Jonathon Janson, known as "butter and egg" men, purchased the lot on the corner of 96th and Third for $1 with hopes and dreams of building a hotel.  

The destruction of the Shelter Haven Hotel in 1961.

The two farmers from Bally, Pennsyl- vania, a small town in Berks County, opened their vision in August of 1912.  It was a five-story, 60 room hotel that was the largest building in the town and overlooked the beautiful Shelter Haven Basin.  The hotel sported a dining room, bar, rooftop garden, cafe and a barber shop.  Many of the 60 guest rooms overlooked the beautiful basin to the south-east.  The Shelter Haven Hotel became the hub of the town and drew many guests to the quickly developing town.  Four years later the Jansen brothers decided to attempt another adventure and sold the property, but continued to spend their summers at the Shelter Haven Hotel.  Eventually, after changing hands 12 times and showing its age, in 1961 the Shelter Haven Hotel was demolished.  

The Shelter Haven Motel.

Shortly after, the 52-room Shelter Haven Motel was built.  The motel featured an elevator, heated pool, boat slips and a bar and liquor store.  

The Reeds at Shelter Haven Hotel.

I can remember making visits to Stone Harbor during the years after the motel was built and remem- bering how neat the place looked.  The motel also featured a gourmet restaurant with a fantastic chef, but after refusing his demands for a long-term lease for his restaurant, the motel began to slowly go downhill and was demolished in 1999.  I can remember the large movie screen that was put in place that summer so people could bring their beach chairs to the corner lot and watch movies under the stars.  

The Third Avenue side of The Reeds at Shelter Haven.

The Shelter Haven was such a big part of the town and its shopping district that something had to happen to bring back the corner of 96th and Third.  The same year of the motel's demolition, a couple of developers purchased the property and began to make proposals that were nixed due to zoning.   Then the recession struck a blow.  Eventually a 37-room boutique concept hotel was proposed and approved and on June 19, 2012 the Reeds at Shelter Haven was opened.  The heart of Stone Harbor has again begun to beat.  The rooftop garden has returned with rooms that face the Shelter Haven Basin yielding majestic water views and spectacular sunsets.  Old postcards of the Shelter Haven Hotel line the walls and the once popular watermelon festival has returned.  The legacy of the Janson brothers is alive and well once again in Stone Harbor.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.