Jersey Shore's Lucy the Elephant is seeing some changes. What to know.
Don't panic if you see a demolition crew near Lucy the Elephant, a beloved landmark of the Jersey Shore.
The popular pachyderm in Margate isn't going anywhere. Instead, workers are to raze and replace an outdated gift shop and visitor center next to the tourist attraction.
This new building is expected to open at the site by next year's third quarter, said Rich Helfant, executive director of the Save Lucy Committee, a historic preservation group.
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The replacement "will include a bigger gift shop, ADA-compliant restrooms, new exhibits, and spaces for everyone to learn about Lucy's history," according to the committee's website.
That history includes the surprising facts that Lucy, built in 1881, initially stood several blocks away in Margate — and wasn't named Lucy.
A Philadelphia real estate developer named James Lafferty commissioned the six-story structure, then called Elephant Bazaar, to draw attention to a largely vacant area between the beach and Atlantic Avenue at Cedar Grove Avenue.
A later owner, Sophia Gertzen, dubbed it Lucy the Elephant in 1902, when the building held a short-lived tavern, according to history compiled by members of the committee.
The Gertzen family in 1970 donated the elephant, then described as "nearly derelict" and facing demolition, to members of the newly formed committee. The building then was moved several blocks to its current location, a city-owned lot at Atlantic and Decatur avenues.
The now-restored elephant was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
With demolition work to begin in April, the committee has moved its gift shop and visitor center operations into a temporary home at a former bank office at Atlantic and Washington avenues.
The committee recently purchased the 2,200-square-foot site, which is across the street from Lucy, for an undisclosed price, Helfant said.
The commercial space, across the street from Lucy, will be the long-term location for administrative offices, Helfant added.
"It will also serve as storage and a warehouse for merchandise being sold in the gift shop. And it will be where our board meets," he said.
In the meantime, the committee's website noted, the interim location will sell Lucy mementos, souvenirs and tickets for guided tours through "the only elephant in the world you can walk through and come out alive!"
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Lucy the Elephant in Margate is to see a new gift shop, visitor center
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