In Sea Isle, the Wait Continues to Demolish Fire-Damaged Building

Denise McPhillips has but one overwhelming wish right now to deal with the burned-out hulk of the building on Park Road that she says is owned by her mother and aunt.

“Our plan is to knock this thing down,” she said, while emphasizing the word “knock.”

A roaring fire on Aug. 14 destroyed the Casa Taco and Casino Pizza restaurants that leased space in the old building located at 4210 Park Road, in the heart of Sea Isle City’s historic Fish Alley Neighborhood.

McPhillips has been busy dealing with insurance companies, contractors and utility companies to get final clearance to demolish the structure.

“I wish this would come down so we can clear this lot. This is a horrible sight to see,” she said.

Fire departments from Sea Isle, Avalon, Marmora, Ocean City, Ocean View and Strathmere battled the blaze for about an hour before bringing it under control. The cause remains under investigation.

Casa Taco was engulfed in flames during the height of the fire. The roof of the building collapsed near the entrance to Casa Taco. Casino Pizza also sustained damage.

James Bennett, the Sea Isle businessman who owned Casino Pizza, said the timing of the fire couldn’t have been worse, coming at the height of the summer tourism season at the shore.

“Devastating,” is how Bennett described the fire’s impact on business.

Bennett is also the owner of the Oar House Pub, the well-known Sea Isle restaurant and bar on 42nd Place, next door to Park Road. McPhillips said Bennett has been helping her to regroup after the fire.

“We are a team,” Bennett said.

    Sea Isle businessman James Bennett is helping Denise McPhillips to recover from the fire.
  

In the fire’s aftermath, Sea Isle’s construction official declared the building an “imminent hazard,” meaning that it would have to be demolished. More than a month later, the smell of smoke still lingers at the scene, depending on the wind direction.

Although she is anxious to have the structure demolished now, McPhillips spoke fondly about the history of the building, which has been owned by her family for three generations. McPhillips grew up in Sea Isle.

Her grandparents, Camillo and Antoinette Bufalo, were the original owners when the building functioned as a fish market decades ago. McPhillips said she remembers when her grandfather, a commercial fisherman, would spread his nets out on the streets after returning from fishing trips.

The building is just steps from the iconic arched “Welcome to Historic Fish Alley” sign that greets visitors on Park Road. Fish Alley is an enclave of longtime, family-owned restaurants and fishing boat operators rooted in Sea Isle’s early history as a commercial seaport.

McPhillips is not sure how old the building is, but believes it dates to the early 1900s. Part of its colorful history are stories of bootleggers making illegal whiskey on the second floor during Prohibition, she said.

McPhillips’ mother, Anna Marie Kelly, and her aunt, Gloria Giampietro, are the owners of the building through AKGG LLC, a Sea Isle-based real estate, rentals and leasing company. AKGG is an acronym for the initials of both women. McPhillips said she holds power of attorney for both women now, placing her in control of the property.

In the past 15 years or so, the building has housed commercial establishments, McPhillips said. Before Casa Taco and Casino Pizza, it was occupied by the Andrea Trattoria Italiana II restaurant and the Berardi Brothers pizzeria.

In 2018, the bayside property was put up for sale for $6 million. It was being marketed at that time as a development site for a three-story complex featuring 20 units of multi-family housing on the top two floors. In addition, there would have been 25 parking spots, eight boat slips and 8,745 square feet of commercial space on the first floor.

However, the property didn’t sell, and the redevelopment project wasn’t built. The existing commercial building remained standing. Now, that same building will be demolished following the devastating fire.

    The building is surrounded by a chain-link fence while awaiting demolition.
  

McPhillips doesn’t have any formal plans yet for redeveloping the site, but has given some thought to possibly transforming it into a miniature version of the Washington Street Mall, the nostalgic pedestrian thoroughfare in Cape May lined with retail shops and restaurants.

“Wouldn’t that be cool?” McPhillips said of the prospect of having a smaller, pedestrian-friendly version of Washington Street Mall in Sea Isle.

But for now, the site remains a fire-damaged eyesore surrounded by a chain-link fence while McPhillips awaits the final go-ahead from the insurance companies to tear it down.

“It’s still up in the air,” she said of when demolition will occur.

To view a Facebook video of the fire by Sean Sharkey, click here: https://www.facebook.com/694146440/videos/3837192176560732/

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been edited to clarify the ownership of the property at 4210 Park Road.