Lucy the Elephant

In 1881 a Philadelphia developer named James Lafferty built Lucy on the then-empty sands south of Atlantic City, hoping the spectacle of a giant elephant would lure curious visitors and buyers to his beachfront real estate. He patented the very idea of an animal-shaped building, and Lucy was the first and grandest of a small handful he erected. Framed in wood and sheathed in tin, she was an engineering marvel and an instant curiosity.

Over the decades Lucy passed through many hands and many uses. She served as a real estate office, briefly as a tavern during a rowdier era, and as a private summer home for a time, all while weathering the storms and salt air of the open coast. By the mid twentieth century she had fallen into serious disrepair and faced demolition, her future far from certain.

In the early 1970s, with Lucy slated to be torn down, a group of Margate residents rallied to save her. They formed a committee, raised money, and undertook the delicate task of moving the enormous, fragile structure a short distance to public land where she could be preserved. The move itself was a dramatic feat, inching the old elephant down the street to her new and permanent home.

Restoration followed, patient and ongoing, repairing her tin skin, her wooden frame, and the rooms inside. In recognition of her rarity and her place in American roadside history, Lucy was designated a National Historic Landmark, one of the very few buildings shaped like an animal to earn that honor. The community that saved her has cared for her ever since.

Visitors today can go inside Lucy on guided tours that lead up a spiral staircase hidden in one of her legs into the large room within her body. There, restored and interpreted, the interior tells the story of her long life, from developer's gimmick to beloved landmark, with the great curved ribs of her wooden frame visible overhead.

The climb continues up to the howdah, the small carriage perched on her back, which serves as an open-air lookout. From that unlikely perch, atop an elephant, visitors take in a sweeping view of the beach, the ocean, and the shore stretching toward the Atlantic City skyline. It is a delightfully odd vantage point, and the highlight of a visit.

Summer is Lucy's busiest season, when shore crowds fill Margate and the beach beside her, and tours run at their fullest. Warm days and the nearby sand make her an easy, whimsical stop on a beach vacation.

Spring and fall bring milder weather and thinner crowds, a pleasant time to tour her without the summer rush, though her schedule runs lighter. Winter is the quiet off-season on this residential shore, but Lucy takes on a festive glow during the holidays, when she is decorated and lit, a cheerful landmark against the cold gray sea.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.