Sea Isle hotel site to be demolished, redeveloped

The owners of The Ludlam hotel, restaurant and bar complex will hold a liquidation auction prior to demolishing the buildings to make way for a major redevelopment of one of the highest-profile locations in Sea Isle City.

The entire restaurant, bar and hotel contents – more than 1,000 items in all – will be sold to the highest bidders during an online auction June 22 conducted by geyerauctions.bidwrangler.com.

Questions have swirled about The Ludlam’s fate ever since the complex was closed down and surrounded by a chain-link fence a few weeks ago. However, owner Christopher Glancey confirmed that the buildings will be demolished later this month after the auction.

Glancey and his business partner, Bob Morris, are planning to redevelop the property at the corner of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Landis Avenue into an upscale boutique hotel that will also be called The Ludlam.

The project will feature 26 hotel suites, 20 residential units, a restaurant, bar and small bakery. There will also be a swimming pool on the second floor for hotel guests.

“It won’t open until the summer of 2026. It’s a big project. It’s going to take two full years,” Glancey said in an interview about the construction schedule.

Once the old Ludlam complex is demolished, construction is expected to begin on its successor in August. In a related move, Glancey and Morris are expected to seek formal approval for the project in July from the Sea Isle planning board.

The Shorebreak Cafe formerly located within The Ludlam complex has been moved to 83rd Street and Landis Avenue in the building once occupied by the old Nickelby’s bakery and coffee shop. Glancey and Morris bought the Nickelby’s site for an undisclosed price.

The existing Ludlam complex was formerly known as the LaCosta Lounge, a throwback bar that established a reputation as one of the best-known drinking spots at the Jersey Shore. The old LaCosta nightclub hosted multiple generations of party-goers for 50 years.

When it opened in the 1960s, the LaCosta was built on the same spot where some of Sea Isle’s most historic businesses once stood, including the former Bellevue Hotel and Cronecker’s Hotel & Restaurant dating to the late 1800s.

    An architectural rendering from 2019 depicts the proposed Ludlam boutique hotel in Sea Isle City. (Image courtesy of Christopher Glancey)
  

Glancey and Morris bought the LaCosta Lounge in 2018 for $7.3 million. They had originally planned to redevelop the site for a boutique hotel, but instead renovated the property for its transformation into The Ludlam hotel, restaurant and bar complex.

Now, they have revived their original plan to build a high-end boutique hotel.

“The project has always been about hotel rooms and the demand for hotel rooms in town. We’re going to remake this corner and bring it up to its best and highest use not only for the hotel rooms, but also as the best use for the community,” Glancey said of the broader economic impact the project will have on Sea Isle.

Glancey said the new Ludlam boutique hotel represents the next generation of development for the high-profile location, the main entryway to the downtown district.

“It will bring the transient visitor into town, not only in the summer, but also during the shoulder season and weekends. It will have an impact on the center of town and the shops when the people are there and the businesses are open to serve those people,” Glancey pointed out.

He believes The Ludlam will have the same economic impact on Sea Isle as another upscale resort, The Reeds at Shelter Haven, had on Stone Harbor. The Reeds provides luxury boutique lodging and sophisticated dining and also serves as a venue for weddings and other special events.

The Ludlam name pays tribute to Sea Isle’s early history. Sea Isle is located on Ludlam Island, which was named after Joseph Ludlam, who bought the land in the late 17th century and used it to graze cows and sheep before Sea Isle City was founded as a beach resort in 1882 by developer Charles K. Landis.

Other parts of Sea Isle have already been transformed by development projects owned by Glancey and Morris. They specialize in mixed-use projects that combine restaurant or retail space on the first floor with high-end condominiums on the top two stories.

They are well-known for their Dunes, Cove and Cape mixed-use developments lining the Landis Avenue corridor in Sea Isle’s Townsends Inlet section.

    The Shorebreak Cafe is another part of The Ludlam complex that was closed. The bakery has since relocated to 83rd Street and Landis Avenue.