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Larger than Life: The Story of Lucy the Elephant

If you drive along the coastline of Margate City, New Jersey, just south of Atlantic City, you will see plenty of beach houses, condos, and dunes. Then, suddenly, you will see a six-story-tall elephant.

This is Lucy. She is not a statue; she is a building.

For nearly 150 years, this architectural marvel has stood watch over the Jersey Shore. She has survived hurricanes, ocean erosion, demolition threats, and lightning strikes to become the oldest surviving roadside attraction in America.

Selling Sand Dunes: The Origin Story

In 1881, South Jersey was largely undeveloped scrub pine and sand. James V. Lafferty, an eccentric Irish-American engineer and inventor, owned several sandy lots in Margate (then called South Atlantic City) and needed a way to attract buyers.

His solution? Build a giant animal.

Lafferty actually secured a U.S. Patent (No. 268503) giving him the exclusive right to construct buildings in the shape of animals. He hired architect William Free to bring his vision to life.

• The Cost: Originally budgeted at $25,000, the cost ballooned to $38,000 (a massive sum in 1881).
• The Materials: Lucy is constructed of nearly one million pieces of wood, covered in a “skin” of 12,000 square feet of tin.
• The Purpose: Lafferty used the elephant as a real estate office. He would take prospective buyers up the spiral staircase to the “howdah” (the carriage on top) to show them the available lots from a bird’s-eye view.

The Many Lives of Lucy

Originally named the “Elephant Bazaar,” the structure acquired the name Lucy in 1902 from Sophia Gertzen, the wife of the new owner. Over the decades, Lucy served many functions:

• A Tavern: In 1902, she was briefly a tavern. Legend says this ended quickly because inebriated patrons kept knocking over the oil lamps, threatening to burn the wooden elephant to the ground.
• A Summer Home: A doctor and his family once leased the elephant as a vacation cottage. The main interior hall was divided into four bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, and a parlor.
• A Hotel: After WWII, the “Elephant Hotel” operated attached to the site.

The Great Rescue of 1970

By the late 1960s, the Gertzen family looked to sell the land. The wooden elephant was rotting, the metal skin was rusting, and developers wanted to tear her down to build condominiums.

In 1969, the Margate Civic Association formed the “Save Lucy Committee.” They raised money door-to-door to move the structure to a city-owned park two blocks away.

• The Move: On July 20, 1970, the 90-ton elephant was lifted onto wheels. As thousands cheered, she was towed down Atlantic Avenue to her current location.
• The Restoration: It took decades of fundraising to restore her exterior and interior, leading to her designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

The Lost Elephants

Lucy is unique today, but she wasn’t always alone. James Lafferty built two other elephant structures, neither of which survived:

1. The Light of Asia (Cape May, NJ): Built in 1884, this smaller elephant failed financially and was torn down by 1900.
2. The Elephantine Colossus (Coney Island, NY): This was a massive, 122-foot-tall hotel and brothel. It caught fire in 1896 and burned to the ground in a spectacular blaze.

Lucy is the last survivor of her species.

Lucy Today: A Brand New Skin

Maintaining a 19th-century wooden structure on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean is a never-ending battle.

In roughly 2020, an inspection revealed that Lucy’s metal skin had degraded significantly, allowing water to rot the wood frame beneath. A massive, multi-year, $2.4 million restoration project began. Lucy was covered in scaffolding for over a year while crews stripped her down to her ribs, repaired the wood, and applied brand-new metal sheathing.

She was unveiled in 2022, looking shinier and healthier than she has in a century.

If You Visit

Lucy is open for guided tours that take you inside the belly of the beast and up to the howdah for sweeping views of the Atlantic City skyline.

• Location: 9200 Atlantic Avenue, Margate City, NJ 08402.
• The Climb: Access to the top requires climbing a narrow spiral staircase.
• The Gift Shop: Located at the base, this shop is famously housed in an old railroad structure moved to the site.

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For More Information

Save Lucy Committee (www.lucytheelephant.org)