Mantoloking’s ‘Hepburn House’ torn down

<p>A famous house at the Jersey Shore that survived Superstorm Sandy has been torn down.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jun 29, 2017, 2:43 AM

Updated 2,632 days ago

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A famous house at the Jersey Shore that survived Superstorm Sandy has been torn down.
The “Hepburn House,” which locals say was a home that famous actors Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy stayed in, was demolished this week.
The Hepburn House was a Jersey Shore icon or an eyesore depending on who you asked. It survived Superstorm Sandy but was demolished this week. Many residents say that the home was a measure of how far the shore has come since the storm.
“Personally I don't think it was an eyesore,” says Bay Head business owner Eric Beyer. “More than half the people around felt it was more of an icon. There are more people that are bummed that it was taken down, than happy that it was taken down.”
Jersey Shore residents say that while many homes damaged by Sandy have been torn down or rebuilt, there are still several that remain eyesores.
On Toms River’s Bay Shore Drive, many new homes dot the landscape. It was an area that was swamped with storm surge during Sandy. There is still some work being done to make repairs.
Resident Anthony Molinari says that he rebuilt his home. But he knows that for every newly rebuilt home like this, there are still empty lots or homes in need of repair.
“It’s been a long process, but a lot of people just don't have the funds,” Molinari says.
The Hepburn House stood up to fame, time, storms and uncertainty. Some residents say the Jersey Shore has done the same. Those residents say that the thousands of people who come to the shore this Fourth of July will see fewer eyesores and much more progress.