Interviews
Jul 13, 2026
Roy Stillman on Building The Atlantic Club Residences, a "Country Club Within a Condominium" on the Jersey Shore
Stillman describes The Atlantic Club as a country club built inside a condominium, an idea he said hasn't been done quite this way in the region before.
Traded Media
Traded Editorial
5 min read
"If you're in this business another hundred years, you may never find another opportunity to develop a site like this."
That's how Roy Stillman, President of Stillman Development International and managing partner of The Atlantic Club Residences, describes the nearly four-acre oceanfront parcel in Long Branch, New Jersey, where he and partners Steven Silverman and Leon Silvera are building a 550,000-square-foot, 132-home condominium. The site sits next to the boardwalk and abuts the beach, and Stillman says it's not the kind of opportunity that comes around twice.
A Once-in-a-Generation Site
Direct oceanfront development sites in Monmouth County are effectively gone, according to Stillman, unless something forces a previously built property off the map. The Atlantic Club's land had exactly that story: two rental buildings dating to the 1950s and '60s sat on the site until storms tore the roofs off, prompting a demolition order from the city.
"That's the kind of thing that has to happen in order to get something like this," Stillman said. "The site is four acres. It's just unheard of. Absent a story like that, it's not going to happen again."
Designing for Ocean Views
Stillman said the design process started with siting, the placement of the building on the land to maximize both its presence and its views. Of the building's 132 homes, 128 have a direct or partial ocean view, a result of a U-shaped footprint Stillman said was inspired in part by the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.
That same influence shaped the building's approach to outdoor space, which Stillman said was often an afterthought at competing developments he studied before breaking ground.
"Some of the other buildings I looked at had maybe 60 square feet of outdoor space, some little triangle stuck on like an appendage where you couldn't even put a lounge chair," he said. "We have wraparound balconies with real depth and dimension, and terraces bigger than some people's homes."
The Refuge Concept
Stillman describes The Atlantic Club as a country club built inside a condominium, an idea he said hasn't been done quite this way in the region before. There's no retail anywhere in the building, and non-owners can't access the pool, gym, or other amenities.
"When you come home, if your pulse was running at 120, it's going to run at 60," Stillman said. "That's what I mean by refuge."
The building's rental policy reinforces that idea. Rather than capping how long a unit can be rented, The Atlantic Club sets a minimum rental duration measured in months, not days or weeks, and caps the number of units that can be rented at any one time at 20.
"We don't want people renting for a weekend with 38 of their best friends to throw a party," Stillman said. "Our homeowner is someone who actually lives there and cares about protecting that environment."
Amenities for Every Generation
The building's amenity program was designed to serve residents across a wide age range, from a children's playroom and virtual reality game room to a music practice room, sports simulator, yoga and pilates studio, and cycling gym, swimming pool, alongside a wine bar, grand lounge, private party room, cinema, business center, pet spa, card room, and billiards room. The building also has roughly 400-450 linear feet of direct ocean frontage.
"Whoever you are, whatever your age is, you can have a lot of fun here, and your family can be together," Stillman said.
Art as the Centerpiece
Stillman describes his work as a form of art, and points to the building's lobby as its clearest expression. The design draws inspiration from Chanel's flagship store in Paris, and Stillman worked with several of the same artisans who have created installations for Chanel locations around the world.
Those collaborators include Colombian textile atelier Hechizoo, known for weaving rugs and tapestries from metal and natural fibers, and Parisian glass artist Christophe Come. Stillman credited New York gallerist Christina Grajales with introducing him to both artists and helping execute the lobby's design.
"I think it will stand among the great lobbies that have been done in a very long time," Stillman said.
Buyer Demand and Momentum
Most buyers at The Atlantic Club are coming from New Jersey, with additional demand from New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, according to Stillman. He said the building is drawing mostly primary-residence buyers rather than second-home purchasers, with an average resident age around 55, though the project has also sold to buyers in their 30s in one- bedroom and two-bedroom homes.
The building recently notched a record-setting penthouse sale for Long Branch, a result Stillman said points to broader demand for quality over commoditized product.
"People want excellence, they want quality, they want a lifestyle, and they'll pay for it," he said.
Buyer enthusiasm has shown up in smaller ways, too. Stillman said prospective owners have taken to visiting the site to photograph its progress and that buyers have sent gifts for the building's amenity spaces, including an offer to donate a piano for the music practice room.
Construction and Timeline
The project superstructure just topped off, according to Stillman, with construction now shifting focus to sealing the building's exterior ahead of interior fit-outs. The job currently employs roughly 200 full-time construction workers, a number Stillman expects to grow to around 300, with delivery targeted for April 2027.
The Standard He's Chasing
Stillman said his approach to every project follows one rule: make it the best thing he's ever done. He measures success less by financial return than by the experience the building creates for the people who live there, and for the neighborhood around it.
"I hope people's lives will be enriched by living here," he said, "and that people who live nearby, but not in the building, will have had their lives enriched too, by having the aesthetic experience of their neighborhood improved."
He compares the building to a piece of art meant to be understood slowly rather than all at once.
"It's like a book you have to read a few times to understand," Stillman said. "I hope the experience evolves over time as people's understanding and appreciation grow."
Published: Jul 13, 2026Last updated: July 20, 2026