By gloria stravelli
Staff Writer

The old Monmouth Diner is seen here as it appeared in 1945 (l). A three-story building with retail space on the first level and office space on the upper levels (r) will be constructed on the site.

When he set up a peanut vending cart at the corner of Broad and Front streets in 1911, William "Bill" Noglows began a relationship with Red Bank that is still fruitful today.

Noglows’ enterprising spirit — he came to America as a 17-year-old immigrant from Greece — led him to build on the success of his peanut cart (in short order he owned three) by founding numerous commercial ventures in and around Red Bank.

One of these was the Monmouth Diner, which Noglows and his partner and compatriot John Morris opened in 1945. The diner was moved to north Jersey 45 years ago and the site has remained vacant since.

Now his grandson, Paul Noglows, has decided to develop the 50-by-118-foot lot and recently received Planning Board approval to build a three-story, mixed-use building on the spot where the diner once stood at 65 Monmouth St.

"We think it’s a nice lot and it begs a first-class building that fits the character of Monmouth Street and the character of Red Bank," Noglows said at the Aug. 11 Planning Board meeting. "I consider it the logical next step in a long-standing and highly productive relationship between my family and Red Bank."

Noglows, of Little Silver, is the principal in Nopoco Properties LLC, which received Planning Board approval to construct a three-story, 12,667-square-foot building fronting Monmouth and Gold streets in the CCD-2 zone. The building will have 2,093 square feet of retail space at street level and 5,287 square feet of office space on each of the second and third levels, permitted uses in the zone.

Nopoco got approval for variances for front yard setback, minimum unoccupied open space, a ground sign and a design waiver for parking in the front yard, but failed to secure a variance for a 37-spot parking shortfall.

The developer will have to make a contribution to the Municipal Parking Utility Fund of $67,500 under a recently revised parking contribution schedule.

Dorn’s Photography Collection William “Bill” Noglows stands in front of the Monmouth Diner, which opened in Red Bank in 1945.

The building design, by Kaplan Gaunt DeSantis, of Red Bank, has two facades and two entry points, facing both Monmouth and Gold streets.

According to architect Ned Gaunt, the design is consistent with the architecture in the downtown and uses traditional elements like a red brick exterior, white cast stone cornices and arched windows. The design features a glass expanse at street level for the retail space.

Construction could begin as early as the fall, according to Noglows, who bought the 50-by-118-foot lot assessed at $106,000 from a holding company whose principals are the offspring of his grandfather and uncle, both émigrés from the Greek island of Madeline.

With his peanut-vending business thriving, William Noglows opened the Red Bank Shoe Shine Parlor, another success story, on Broad Street in 1912, according his grandson.

That shop was also successful, and Noglows, in partnership with Morris (his brother-in-law), established a string of other long-running ventures including the Red Bank Candy Kitchen at 69 Broad, 1914-51, the Strand Restaurant at 64-66 Broad, 1926-61, the Red Bank Restaurant, the Presto Lunch Room at 51 Broad, the Monmouth Diner (moved from the Asbury Circle), 1945-54, as well as the Station Diner near the Red Bank train station.

Noglows and Morris also acquired and ran two Victory Markets in Red Bank, on Monmouth and Front streets, the Park Grove Market in Asbury Park, and Maloney’s in Eatontown.

Noglows’ father, Stephen W., also called Bill, worked as a soda jerk at the candy kitchen as a youth, then ran Monmouth Meats from 1945 until he retired in 2000.

Noglows said he grew up hearing stories about his legendary grandfather.

"I don’t remember him, but I feel like I knew him from all the family stories," he said. "He came from absolutely nothing and ended up with several businesses and a beautiful house at the corner of Bergen and Broad.

"He was a very well-known character, then my dad was in business for 45 years. They literally knew everyone."

According to Noglows, when his grandfather died in 1961, ownership of the property passed to a trust for his and Morris’ children. The lot sat vacant until the principals agreed to sell it to him in 1999.

Noglows allowed the lot to be used as a staging area during the Monmouth Street streetscape project earlier this year, then with the project winding down, decided the time was right to go before the Planning Board.

"The location is great; it’s centrally located within walking distance of the train station and the downtown. I ‘m excited to be moving forward with it, and to be able to do it with my father."

According to Noglows, it’s the right time in Red Bank’s history for the project.

"Everybody has different opinions about Red Bank: it’s on the upswing, downturn, the mall’s going to kill Red Bank," he commented. "There are all kinds of issues at any given time.

"At the end of the day, Red Bank is unique in that it still has a true downtown," he said. "The two major streets really are Broad and Monmouth, and look at what’s going on with Monmouth on the whole. It always was the poor cousin to Broad Street but that really isn’t the case anymore.

"Suddenly this whole side of town is being rejuvenated and really coming into its own. We’re so excited to be a part of that.

"Our goal is to put up the nicest building on Monmouth Street — and I think it is."