By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY — It’s like stepping back in time as you enter the lobby of the historic Flanders Hotel at 11th Street and the Boardwalk in America’s Greatest Family Resort.
“Experience the ambience and architectural style of the period at the Flanders,” real estate agent John Walton said. “Enjoy its many amenities: swimming pool, Emily’s restaurant, salon, shops, banquet and meeting places.”
The architectural features of the exterior, the opulence of the lobby and the fine cherry millwork found all around are fantastic.
What’s better than both is the nearly 360-degree view from the terraces of unit 905.
The two-level penthouse suite has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a large great room outfitted finely in amazing wood trim and crown molding. There also are two terraces offering views north to Atlantic City, south to Sea Isle City and east across the ocean to Morocco.
Walton said most of the celebrities that visit the city for performances stay in this home.
Unit 905 has a private elevator from the ninth floor up that stops on each of its two floors, making it easy for those with limited mobility.
The home’s front door opens onto a two-story foyer with a balcony overhead.
Cherry wood columns flank a door to the right leading to the first bedroom suite. It’s outfitted with twin beds atop narrow-plank hardwood flooring with inlaid accents. A gas fireplace in the corner adds some ambiance and warmth, since this is one of the few units that can be lived in year-round. A television nook is hidden behind swinging doors above.
While the home’s extraordinary amenities so far have lived up to the hype, it’s upon entering the bathroom that they really take a step up. The room is almost completed covered in tile and offers a deep tub with jets and a shower with a swinging glass door. The onyx-topped vanity with his and hers clamshell sinks has 18k gold-plated faucets and handles shaped like fish.
Back in the foyer, carpeted stairs ascend to the second level, where the second bedroom is just at the top. It has hardwood flooring and a queen-size bed beneath a cutout tray ceiling. Its en suite bath has extensive tile work, including in the shower. There also is an onyx-topped vanity and gold-plated faucets here.
Back in the hall, the elevator is to the left, next to the balcony overlooking the foyer. Straight ahead is a terrific kitchen, dining area and living room, all beneath this barrel-shaped tray ceiling with intricate crown molding. Several windows face south while a sliding glass door off the dining area opens onto the north terrace, making the home light and bright.
The kitchen features marble tile flooring and a center island with an onyx top. More Wood Harbor cabinets line one wall, where there is a Sub-Zero refrigerator with two freezer drawers, a Bosch dishwasher left of the stainless-steel sink and a KitchenAid range with a microwave above.
Just steps away, the dining area has a long wood table that seats six, with views both north and south through windows, beneath a crystal chandelier.
The living room has marble tile, a second gas fireplace with a TV nook and an ornate hanging lamp, as well as custom tapestries all around. A sofa and four chairs privide for easy conversation.
The master bedroom is wisely located in the rear to take advantage of the oceanfront views. It has a door opening onto the uncovered deck, where the wide-open expanse of the Atlantic Ocean unfolds before the eyes and just keeps going.
Inside, there is tile flooring, a king-size bed and another fireplace beneath a tray ceiling, as well as a fully tiled bathroom with a deep tub with jets and sliding glass doors.
According to Walton, this beachfront masterpiece also delivers as a great investment property with a net positive cash flow of more than $125,000 annually. As part of The Flanders’ rental program, all bookings are handled by the hotel staff.
Hotel amenities include a heated pool, concierge and daily maid service, fitness room, banquet center, gift shops and restaurant dining.
“It’s its own city within Ocean City,” Walton said. “You’re buying a lifestyle and an investment.”
According to a history of the hotel on its website, the Ocean Front Hotel Corp., a group of 24 local businessmen and prominent citizens, lobbied for the construction of the hotel after World War I and chose to name it The Flanders in memory of the fallen Allied troops of the Battle of Flanders, fought in Belgium in 1914.
It was designed by city native Vivian B. Smith, an Ocean City High School graduate who also designed City Hall in 1915, the city’s second high school in 1924 and the Music Pier in 1929.
The 232-room hotel, with many sun decks, a swimming pool and bath in each room, was constructed to compete with established hotels along the coast. The hotel was built to transform Ocean City into a world-class venue and made the city a serious destination in southern New Jersey, the website states.
Most of the buildings at that time were about four stories tall and overwhelmingly Victorian in nature. The Flanders was so prominent that it became a visual landmark, evidenced by the fact that almost any postcard or official photograph of Ocean City prominently featured the hotel.
In 1960, the hotel’s owner built a two-story penthouse for his family on the North Tower of the hotel. These were elegant and spacious accommodations, spread over two floors, that consisted of five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Following the 1966 opening of the Port-O-Call Hotel and Motor Inn at 15th Street, The Flanders struggled under its setup and never recovered as a private hotel. A period of “bigger is better” began and from 1970–78, when most of the resort’s iconic hotels were demolished or destroyed and replaced by newer or larger motels and condominiums. That left The Flanders as the oldest remaining hotel of Ocean City.
According to the history, the hotel continued to struggle and was forced to close its doors May 8, 1995. The next year, James Dwyer purchased the hotel and spent a couple of years and more than $12 million renovating the rooms into 95 condominiums. It reopened in 1997 and construction began on the five new penthouses atop the South Tower in 2000.
In 2009, the hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Later that year, the interior stores on the second level of the lobby and the barbershop, which were dark for many years, were purchased by Peter and Arlene Voudouris are now are filled with clothing, gifts and antiques. The barbershop is now home to Coffee Express.
In 2010, nine one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums known as the Lanai Suites were built and became part of the Flanders Condominium Association.
The Flanders now is a thriving destination again for guests all year round. The accommodations range from luxury suites to penthouses, 117 in all. The Flanders is the only full-service hotel in Ocean City that includes ballrooms and meeting rooms, a full-service restaurant, retail stores, a coffee shop, salon and spa, fitness center, business center and heated outdoor pool.
Penthouse suite #905 is listed for $969,000 with John Walton of Keller Williams Realty. Call (609) 338-7667 or email john@johnwaltonrealestate.com for more information or to set up an appointment to see this wonderful home.
