This is stop #44 on the Belmar Treasure Trail at the Howard Rowland Pavilion, named for the man who stood watch over the Belmar beachfront for nearly 60 years, at one time having the distinction as being the world’s oldest active lifeguard. During his longtime tenure as Chief Lifeguard, Rowland devoted himself to water safety, saving as many as 6,000 lives and training several generations of lifeguards. He died in 1988 at age 81. Rowland is memorialized in a fabulous portrait by well-known local artists Suzanne Anan, who captured him standing next to his distinctive red Jeep and wearing his red lifeguard swim trunks, with his two-way radio on his hip. This building, constructed after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and opened in 2017, serves as the headquarters for beachfront police, fire, first aid and lifeguard operations. This centra ...