Fort Monmouth Beginnings

In 2005, the Pentagon and the office of Base Realignment and Closure announced the decision to close the fort. Over the next six years, Fort Monmouth went through the process of closing the fort. The final closing ceremony was held on September 15, 2011.

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Our Mission

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Currently, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) is entirely behind Fort Monmouth’s redevelopment. Specifically, FMERA is intended to guide the investment, growth, and integration of Fort Monmouth and the surrounding communities. They have been in charge of property sales and fort redevelopment since 2011, when the U.S. Army transferred them the first half of the Fort Monmouth property.

Almost a decade later, you can drive through the fort and still see little to no redevelopment/rehabilitation has happened since. A majority of the fort’s buildings and properties remain completely abandoned. Sadly, decay is setting in as many years go by without proper maintenance for such a beloved local landmark.

The “ftmonmouth” campaign aspires to bring more public attention to this historic fort in hopes we can get FMERA to resume property sales and continue revitalization, preservation and restoration of this beautiful piece of our history.

Properties

Russel Hall

Russell Hall was the last permanent pre-WWII structure completed on the Fort. It was finished in 1936 and served as...

Barker Circle

Col. James B. Allison became the 6th commanding officer of Fort Monmouth in 1925. He commissioned the first permanent structures...

Expo Theater

Built in 1968, the Expo Theater once held 995 audience members in its seats and sits on 7.8  acres of...

Squier Hall

Originally dubbed “Signal Corps Laboratories,” what is now Squire Hall was named in honor of Major General George O. Squire....

Pulse Power

Built in 1988, this two-story structure consists of 15,690 square feet of administrative offices and 10,786 square feet of lab...

Available for purchase

Bowling Center

The Bowling Center was opened in 1965 and sits on a 2.8 acre parcel of land. Plans to modernize the...

Vail Hall

Formerly a communications hub, housing the fort’s Directorate of Information Management and Information Technology Services Directorate, Vail Hall was constructed...

Renovating

Mcafee Complex

The McAfee Complex was built in 1997 and named for Dr. Walter S. McAfee. McAfee was a civilian engineer who...

Available for purchase

Gibbs Hall

Gibbs Hall is located on the Fort’s very own golf course, Suneagles, and was originally a private country club for...

Kaplan Hall

Most recently home to the Communications-Electronics Museum, Kaplan Hall was originally the post theater, boasting 574 seats. Constructed in 1933,...

Allison Hall

Commissioned in 1925, Fort Monmouth’s hospital, Allison Hall, was completed in 1928 with an additional wing added in 1934. The...

Revitalization

Currently, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) is behind Fort Monmouth’s redevelopment. Specifically, FMERA focuses on guiding the investment, growth, and integration of Fort Monmouth and the surrounding communities. In fact, one of the big initiatives under FMERA is the Fort Monmouth Reuse and Redevelopment Plan. This plan utilizes Fort Monmouth to promote employment, commerce, and economic development. Currently, three communities in Monmouth County are involved with it.

Discover

Fort Monmouth, built on the original site of the Monmouth Racetrack, was originally named Camp Little Silver. It’s moniker changed to Camp Vail in 1917. It wasn’t until 1925, when Camp Vail officially became known as Fort Monmouth, after it’s installation became permanent. The name was selected to honor the fallen soldiers of the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War. The battle took place just miles from the new Fort Monmouth on the grounds of the Monmouth Court House in what is now Freehold Township.

Throughout the decades that the base was functional, many significant scientific discoveries were achieved including; the first radio-equipped meteorological balloon reached the upper atmosphere, RADAR was developed on post -- a model of which detected the 1947 Pearl Harbor attacks, and the celestial communication theory was proved via radar transmissions during Project Diana marking what is widely recognized as the beginning of the “Space Age.”

During World War II, Fort Monmouth’s role was accentuated and its property was expanded to include Camp Coles near Red Bank, Camp Charles Wood in Tinton Falls and Camp Evans in Wall Township. At the time, the fort could comfortably accommodate over 20,000 personnel.

Fort Monmouth Today

Fort Monmouth closed permanently on September 15, 2011. Since then, the redevelopment of the iconic Fort Monmouth was taken over by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA).

In the almost decade that FMERA has had control of the redevelopment project, very few of the proposed plans have been completed. Many of the historic property parcels sit deteriorating while revitalization plans continue to stall.

View the Buildings section of the website for a detailed description of the Fort Monmouth properties.

Notable Figures

Doctor Walter S. McAfee


In 1942, Dr. McAfee began work at Fort Monmouth during WWII as part of the war effort. However, his background…

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Julius and Ethel Rosenberg


Julius and Ethel Rosenberg gained international notoriety for their arrest and subsequent execution for their roles in a Soviet Union…

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Whitey Ford


Whitey Ford enlisted in the Army in 1950 during the Korean War. He was ordered to Fort Monmouth where he…

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President Wilson


President Wilson was a carrier pigeon responsible for saving thousands of American soldiers’ lives. On October 5, 1918, Wilson’s unit…

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Mocker


Mocker was born in 1917, he served in World War I and flew 52 missions before ever being wounded. On…

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Stay Informed With Our Latest News

Concerts On The Green

Live music is back! The Concerts On The Green series, presented by The Count Basie Center of the Arts, and...

The Early Years

With over 100 years of history tied to Fort Monmouth, it’s one of New Jersey’s most famous landmarks. Unbeknownst to...

Historic Expo Theater to Be Demolished

FMERA is soon to approve a purchase that will result in the destruction of one of Fort Month’s beloved historical...

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