The NY&LB began as a railroad between Elizabethport (in Elizabeth, Union County) to Long Branch, finished in 1875.

[1][7] However, the station at Asbury Park was built on land donated by the Ocean Grove Campmeeting Association, a part of the Methodist Church.

An amendment was made to this deal on June 1, 1889, that kept trains from stopping at North Asbury Park station.

On October 10, 1911, despite pleas from the Campmeeting Association, the commission filed in favor of the railroad, feeling it was not furnishing proper service by forcing trains to skip Asbury Park station on Sundays.

[6] Ocean Grove handed the railroad its rights to the Asbury Park depot and its surrounding land on March 3, 1912.

[3] Workers moved all the functions into the south end of the older depot on February 8 to allow for construction to begin.

[3] A local editorial piece in the Asbury Park Evening Press noted that the city should be proud of the new depot.

[14] However, there was still concern that the depot was not large enough to handle the expected amount of business, which proved to be true for several decades after its construction.

Asbury Park preferred to demolish the station and replace it with a new municipal complex, which would cost $2.3 million.

They were hoping to get an injunction against the demolition, stating the depot was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.