Dewey Beach landmark transforms on Route 1
The historic Walsh property at the corner of Route 1 and Saulsbury Street in Dewey Beach is undergoing major renovations. The property was originally purchased by Mary Grubb Dugan of Wilmington, who emigrated from Ireland in 1893 and outlived two husbands before purchasing lots 15 and 16 of block 39 from Rehoboth By the Sea Realty Company in 1935. By that time, Dugan’s daughter Madeline had already married Jerome Walsh. Madeline and Jerome had six children; the oldest was James, born in 1923. Dugan died in 1950, and Madeline became sole owner of the property. In 1953, Jerome was added to the deed. When their son James married Alice Stanford in 1953, they were deeded a half-interest in the property, where James set up Walsh Electronics, a sales and TV repair shop, with the front showroom and office facing Route 1 and the family’s living quarters above. A small, older summer cottage house on the property sat beside the home and shop.
After the family moved to Lewes for a short time, they moved back to Dewey in 1964, when James added more living space to the rear of the home to accommodate the growing family. The above image shows the property in the 1950s. About this time, the adjacent summer cottage was also connected to the home with the addition of a flat roof and second-floor living space. James and Alice had eight surviving children: Michael, Denise, Thomas, Teri, Claire, Bernadette, Joseph and Francis; children Timothy and Patrick died as infants.
The Starboard owner Steve “Monty” Montgomery, Schell Brothers founder Chris Schell and Ocean Atlantic Companies Executive Manager Greg Tobias teamed up to purchase the property for $1.6 million at auction in March 2020. Since that time, the building has sat relatively untouched. Recently, though, a major renovation project has transformed the historic structure into a more modern-looking building.
