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Lucy the Elephant.
Her surroundings have changed, but Lucy has stood in Margate for 140 years.

Lucy the Elephant

Field review by the editors.

Margate City, New Jersey

Lucy is the world's largest elephant, and the only one in America designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Hinged Man and Lucy's Leg.
Lucy's Leg dwarfs the six-foot-tall Hinged Man.

She was built in 1881 by James V. Lafferty, a real estate developer with a knack for promotion. Standing six stories tall, weighing 90 tons, covered with 12,000 square feet of sheet tin, Lucy was more than an object of awe -- she was a functioning building, serving first as a real estate office, then as a hotel, a summer home, even briefly as a tavern, until unruly drunks nearly burned her down. She also gave people a reason to come to Margate City while Lafferty gave his real estate pitch.

Lucy proved very useful. Jim L. made a bundle and went on to build other elephants in Cape May and Coney Island. Sadly, only Lucy has survived.

She nearly didn't. By the late 1960s, Lucy was an abandoned wreck on the verge of collapse. Happily, the citizens of Margate banded together and raised money to restore the proud pachyderm to her former glory. Now, thousands of visitors each summer tour Lucy's innards and buy post cards in her gift shop.

For a small admission fee, the adventuresome can tour Lucy's innards, entering via a spiral staircase in one of her hind legs. See a video and some photographic displays of Lucy history. The tour climaxes with a stop in the open-air "howdah" atop Lucy's back. From here, one is offered a breathtaking view of neighboring high-rise condos, the parking lot, and the Atlantic Ocean. Still, her creator would be pleased at what Lucy started; an acre of beachfront in Margate City now commands seven figures.

vintage view
Lucy as she appeared in her early years.

Also see: Lucy the Elephant - Century 3

Lucy the Elephant

Address:
9200 Atlantic Ave., Margate City, NJ
Directions:
On the beach side of Atlantic Ave. at Decatur Ave.
Hours:
Summer M-Sa 10-8, Su 10-5. First tour 10:15. Fewer hours and days off-season. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
609-823-6473
Admission:
Adults $8.50
RA Rates:
The Best
Save to My Sights
Margate
Lucy the Elephant Reopens!

Lucy is Back!

This Exit for News: Lucy Returns to the roadside attraction landscape!Go to video


Nearby Offbeat Places

Smiley Face Water TowerSmiley Face Water Tower, Longport, NJ - < 1 mi.
Atlantic City's First Resident, Buried in a Traffic CircleAtlantic City's First Resident, Buried in a Traffic Circle, Northfield, NJ - 4 mi.
Grave of Rex the Wonder DogGrave of Rex the Wonder Dog, Linwood, NJ - 4 mi.
In the region:
Bakery's Fiberglass Menagerie, Haddon Heights, NJ - 49 mi.

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