The Matador is a four-floor Motel, and is T-shaped in its main sections housing the rooms. It has what I call a west wing, which is placed north-south, and an east wing, which is laid out east-west. It has units located on all four levels of the west wing (though the 1st floor only has units in its southern portion, near the pool and office), and more units on the 2nd & 3rd levels of the east wing. There are appx. 55 units in the Motel, with numerous unit types available. An elevator is located where the two wings connect. A large deck covers the 4th floor of the east wing, accessible where the two portions meet. An additional, relatively smaller (but still sizeable) 2nd level deck is at the southeast end off the property, and is accessible from stairs leading from the ground, and also between the 2nd & 3rd floors of the east wing. This deck ends up giving the entire Motel complex a lowercase h-shape. The 4th floor seems to have been added sometime in the ‘80’s. I’m guessing the long deck at that level was added at the same time, or not long after. The 2nd floor deck is an original feature.
Red, in keeping with the name, is used prominently to fine effect – on the doors, the balcony edges, and all signage/logos/etc. In the past, red louvered outer doors were used – not sure when these were removed. Off white brick-face trims the space between units, end sections of the wings, and surrounds the railing dividers around the pool and decks. It is also used to trim the exterior staircases that are at both the north and south ends, which jut out perpendicularly. These staircases also seem to have been added at the time of the 4th floor addition. These replaced stairs that used to cross more closely and parallel to middle units in each section of the north-south wing. They each have a downward sloping red/white “roof”, a nice touch to help shield the stairs. Simple, white, flush mount lights sit between each unit. Lamps by the decks, etc., sit atop black posts and perches, and the floor to ceiling glass outside the units is also trimmed in black. Railings used by the unit’s balconies are curved vertical bars in white, and use the original design. When the Matador was expanded, they seem to have duplicated the existing ones to match. This style of railings are also used on the decks, though a portion of the 4th floor one has an area which uses newer white resin looking ones that are more of a solid surface – not sure why this is, other than to possibly shield off something from view. The pool area uses newer railings with straight, white vertical bars, which have a more open horizontal extended section at the top.
The pool area is located in between the southern end of the two wings and the 2nd floor deck. It’s mostly rectangular shaped, with rounded sections at the two “heads” – one looks like a kiddie pool, and the other is a raised hot tub with blue tile around its outer area. More of the blue tile decorates the inner edges of the pool and hot tub. An “M” Matador logo is in the pool’s bottom, in red. A mural depicting the beach/ocean and a rowboat is painted on the 1st floor wall of the east-west wing that faces the pool area. The boat is particularly appropriate with the North Wildwood Lifeguard building on the beach near the Matador, and their use of the Matador’s lot to store equipment in the off-season. Earthy/sandy colored tile surrounds the pool area, with real palms used, planted in pots. Red and white vinyl strap chairs (my favorite type) are used throughout the exterior – lounges by the pool, armchairs by the rooms, and both are used on the decks.
As part of the renovations made before the 2010 season, the 4th floor deck’s surface was repaired and resurfaced with a (to my eye) sandy, but floor like finish. Balcony surfaces got similar treatment, but with more of a stone like look. Existing exhaust stacks on the 4th floor deck got coated/finished/built up and now serve as tables with granite tops and red pyramid shaped umbrellas. A driveway travels between the pool area and 2nd level deck to connect the north and south sides of the property.
Parking is mostly on the north side, including some spaces under cover, with a few spaces near the office and pool, and also by the driveway. A Townhouse sits next to southwest end of the Motel. This is not the same as the “Family Apartment”, which is off site. The Townhouse is a two floor, stucco clad structure, with a white base, and red trim. It also has red/white soft awnings, white vertical railings, and a red shingle roof! The lobby/office is at the southwestern end of the Motel, next to the pool area, and was renovated over this past off-season. A red/white/black colored, rounded awning covers the immediate area leading to the office’s entrance. A beautiful, new neon sign is above this area. It depicts a Matador with the “M” logo in his cape, OFFICE, and a (NO) VACANCY indicator. A red MATADOR neon sign sits rooftop at the southern end, facing west. This duplicates a solid, raised sign once placed against the south wall, which was lit from behind in red. Due to its design and layout, unlike most Motels in The Wildwoods, its back walls – one on each wing – are exposed. Back walls to a Motel are most always nothing special, and if you drive up to the Matador from 16th, your first view of it, aside from the neon, is not from its “good side”. Which is too bad, because it’s an interesting Motel that such a first look doesn’t do justice to. The owners seem to make the best of this situation by (as with the rest of the Motel) keeping a fresh, clean appearance on each “back wall”. On the east wing back wall, murals are painted – one replicating the rooftop neon design, but vertically and with “OCEANFRONT FAMILY RESORT” next to it, and the other replicating the look of the new Matador styled neon by the office.
To see past discussion on the Matador, and if you wish to contribute further to it, please visit the thread linked below from the Doo Wop Preservation League's Message Board:
http://www.doowopusa.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1275674313
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