By Richard Otto Schmid
Our team has been working diligently to have The Dutchman’s on its new piling system for 2022. But due to unforeseen delays our goal is now 2023.
The remodeling project has reached its most critical phase — moving The Dutchman back to its iconic location. Placing the approximately 19,000 square foot building on its new piling system is a complex precision process that requires careful coordination by all of our contractors. Accuracy is critical. Each contractor has a vital job. In this phase, the final land piles will be placed, load bearing plates will be completed on the steel beams, a wood perimeter wall will be constructed around the main section of The Dutchman, and the floor of the main building will be removed. Atlantic Structure Movers will use GPS when moving, positioning, and landing The Dutchman’s precisely on its new structure, returning the restaurant to its exact historic location where it sat on recycled old pilings that originally supported the first automobile causeway bridge built in 1912. When the old piles were pulled from the water in 1959 to make way for a new bridge, Otto Schmid collected and reused them to build The Dutchman’s.
Please watch us this summer as we move The Dutchman’s back to its celebrated location — over the waters of Barnegat Bay. As always, the welfare of the bay and respecting the environment continue to be our main concern and goal. Thank you for your patience.
