Downtown Asbury's Mattison Avenue coming into its own

If you ask a Asbury Park local where the most historic building in the town is, they will undoubtedly name the “Post Building”. The Post Building is on of the most beautiful and historic buildings in all of Asbury, not just downtown. It is also one of the most unheralded. It has sat vacant for years. Carter Sackman rehabilitated the building. The upper floors of the Post Building are residential units. On the lower level there are 5500 square feet available for commercial use along with 16 foot high ceilings and large airy windows. The structure was the home of a bank for decades and the building itself dates back to before 1900.

Coming this April, the Post Building will be home to a new restaurant instead. The restaurant’s name will be “Fish”. Does it need to be stated that it is a seafood restaurant?

The owners are a husband & wife team – jim & Karen Deguilio. Two months ago they signed a lease for the geogous space and have not slept since. They are elated to be opening soon. The couple’s experience before “Fish” includes owning an Italian restaurant on Long Beach Island for over 12 years. Originally they were going to recreate their LBI restaurant here in Asbury but it was too close to Stella Marina on the boardwalk so they decided to start from scratch. “So we looked at what downtown Asbury needed and we came up with the seafood concept. The primary fare will be seafood, although there will be other selections. We will also have a raw bar which will be a physical focal point,” Jim explained.

The Post Building’s history includes being used by Presidentt Woodrow Wilson. It was the old post office before it became a bank. It was a federal building, so in the summer, President Wilson would vacation at the Jersey Shore and he use the building as his office . He would stay at Shadow Lawn (which is now Monmouth University).

On Mattison Avenue, there are two popular restaurants – Bistro Ole and Taka. Trinity and Pope is opening shortly, and now Fish will be making it’s mark. The addition of Fish restaurant means that sleepy Mattison will soon have four high profile restaurants in four beautiful old spaces.