Lucy the Elephant

Museums, Historical Sites, and ZoosNew Jersey, United States2-10 Employees

Originally named Elephant Bazaar, this ninety-ton elephant-shaped building was built in 1881 by James Vincent de Paul Lafferty, Jr. in hopes of selling parcels of land located near the beach in South Atlantic City, the area now known as Margate City, NJ.  

Constructed of wood covered in tin cladding, this example of novelty architecture originally served as a real estate office, however, for the majority of Lucy's existence, the structure has been used as a tourist attraction.  Hundreds of thousands of people have climbed the winding, spiral stairs located in Lucy's hind legs into the elephant's main hall located in the belly of the beast before ascending a second set of stairs leading up to the riding carriage on Lucy's back that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and boasts a 360° view of Absecon Island the surrounding areas.  

Being located so closely to the ocean, the seaside environment constantly takes its toll on the structure.  After years of neglect and deferred maintenance, the structure had fallen into such disrepair that the City of Margate deemed it unsafe and condemned it in 1962.  Shortly after, the land where Lucy stood was sold to a condominium developer with plans to demolish the structure.

That's when a group of concerned citizens formed the Save Lucy Committee, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, who raised enough money in 30 days to move the decaying structure to city-owned parkland.  Thirty years and $1.5 MILLION later, Lucy the Elephant is now a National Historic Landmark and America's Oldest Roadside Attraction.

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