American Hotel moves closer to debut

Rising from the ashes may be the only way to characterize the activity going on at the American Hotel on East Main Street, Freehold Borough.

ERIC SUCAR Steve Goldberg, the owner of the American Hotel, Freehold Borough, points to some of the work being done as the landmark on East Main Street prepares for a grand reopening. Goldberg bought the hotel at a public auction in March 2006. From its newly renovated and elegantly crafted ballroom walls and shiny chandeliers to its upscale modern red and black lounge, to 20 new suites, it can safely be said the American Hotel is on its way home to the town that has cherished it for almost 200 years.

The hotel, which had been neglected and left in disrepair by its previous owners, was a project the new owner, Steve Goldberg, took on with a vision, a dream and a great deal of grit and moxie.

Goldberg, of Manalapan, purchased the Freehold Borough landmark that has been a favorite meeting place, banquet facility and memory maker for hundreds of area residents over the years, for $2.5 million on March 23, 2006. When he purchased the hotel, Goldberg was well aware of its history, its memories and the place it held in the hearts of many Freehold Borough residents.

Left: The American Hotel in Freehold was boarded in 2005 after a fire damaged the interior. Above: Renovations are progressing for the hotel's planned December opening. His original plan was to renovate and restore the historic hotel to its former glory (rooms had not been rented in the hotel for many years), but as fate would have it, part of the hotel had to come down due to structural deficiencies.

Goldberg was quoted as saying, "The ghost are homeless now," when the building came down in January 2008.

When he made the decision to take down part of the hotel, Goldberg committed to making the new building look like the original. As the new American Hotel prepares for its debut in a few months, it is apparent that he honored that commitment.

The exterior of the new building looks much the same as the original hotel did when it was built. The owner has managed to honor the history of the building by keeping it aesthetically as close to the original as possible, but has added new touches and upto date amenities.

ERIC SUCAR staff Painted in a mustard gold, the American Hotel now has a new entrance on East Main Street. Windows that once lined the ballroom have now become atrium doors leading out to the brick promenade for outdoor seating along the downtown's restaurant row. The hotel rooms are suites and two bridal suites have wrought iron balconies overlooking East Main Street, just like the original hotel.

"It's very exciting," Goldberg said as he showed a reporter the hotel this week.

A tour of the hotel, which is due to open in December, may evoke both good and bad memories for borough officials and residents. Many people in Freehold and the surrounding communities hold at least one memory of some special occasion spent at the historic hotel — a christening, a wedding, a bar mitzvah, a sweet 16 party. So anyone who saw the shards of broken glass, the damp, moldy smelling cold interior of the hotel on the day it was auctioned off in what was once the "pink" ballroom would have experienced a sadness at the venerable hotel's demise.

ERIC SUCAR staff Renovations at the American Hotel in Freehold are nearing completion. The Main Street landmark is accepting reservations for 2010 events. The pink ballroom, no longer covered with slivers of glass and piles of debris, is no longer pink and has been renamed The Lennox Room.

Goldberg, who designed the interior of the hotel with contractor Anthony Cammallere, who owns T&K Contractors, Freehold, and Rob Kash, who owns the Metropolitan Cafe, Freehold, handed over the artistry and decoration of the ballroom walls to muralists Patty Ruglio and Amy Rhone, of Ruglio & Rhone, Tinton Falls.

"Anthony Cammallere and all his subcontractors have gone way beyond my expectations with this project. I always had a general idea of the look and feel I wanted, but Anthony and his design team really made it happen," Goldberg said. "I give him so much credit because this was not an easy project."

In the Lennox Room, Ruglio and Rhone have created a tastefully elegant landscape done in muted shades of cream and tan. A mural is surrounded by gold metallic walls with an antique wash framing the focal point of the room — the original large brick fireplace. The color scheme is deep burgundy with reds and golds. The floor will be carpeted and there will be a dance floor. The room will accommodate 140 people. A smaller room adjoins this and can be closed off to offer smaller parties for 30 or 40 guests.

The Majestic Ballroom, once known as the "blue" room, also bears the artistry of Ruglio and Rhone, with its antique metallic wainscoting, crafted by the women, and metallic antique gold and brass background surrounding the large fireplace. The color scheme in this ballroom is black and gold and the room will accommodate up to 250 people. The artists took walls that were basically flat and, giving them dimension and depth with their wainscoting, designed a room that now appears more "old-world" than its predecessor.

Windows in this ballroom have now been changed to atrium doors, which lead out onto the back deck, which will have a canvas roof and will be used for cocktail hours, according to Cammallere.

Upstairs, there will be a spa and two massage rooms for guests. The 20 guest rooms are all painted a "peanut shell" or medium brown color and have luxurious bathrooms with glass shower stalls, some have large tubs.

A lounge bar will greet guests as they enter the lobby of the hotel. A restaurant will offer a large bar, seating for 140 guests and an old world steakhouse menu, according to Goldberg.

The design of the hotel keeps its historical character, but also incorporates modern day amenities that guests will appreciate.

Goldberg did manage to uncover some hidden treasures within the old hotel. A series of black-wrought-iron paned windows, which were not visible in the hotel for many years, were unearthed behind a Sheetrock wall. They are now part of the scenery in what Goldberg calls the multipurpose room, which he said will function as a corporate meeting place, a place for workshops and a venue for wedding ceremonies. He also plans to work on making that space a supper club or comedy theater.

The new American Hotel is now taking bookings for events, and according to Goldberg, "Our calendar is already filling up. We started accepting reservations for 2010 banquets and parties in August and the response has been fantastic. Since John McCarthy has joined our staff as general manager, we have been keeping him very busy with banquet and party planning. Our future events calendar is filling pretty quickly. A lot of people like the idea and feeling that they can have their family and friends gather at the hotel and have their event in the same place their families did. I am really grateful that so many people are trusting us with their special moments and events."

Since purchasing the American Hotel more than three years ago, Goldberg has expressed his interest in keeping the spirit of the memories of the old hotel alive. He said he understood what the American Hotel meant to the people of Freehold Borough.

"Some people have come by and shared their memories of the hotel with me. It's very neat when a future bride comes in and tells us this is where her parents got married," he said. "Sometimes I come in late at night when all of the contractors have gone and the place is very quiet, and I can imagine it open and full of guests. It really is very thrilling."

Maybe the "homeless ghosts" of events past that Goldberg spoke about will now finally have a place to call home again.

The American Hotel may be reached at 732-431-3220.