Wildwood's Neon Nights and Motel Memories

I'm trying something a bit different with this post. Instead of detailing of a particular motel, I'm featuring an interview with two people who created a book that is mainly about these places in one way or another - Melinda and Robert (Bob) Williams. They are co-authors of Wildwood's Neon Nights & Motel Memories. The book was first issued in 2010 and contains chapters with the authors' own insights and recollections, numerous great images taken by Bob of places and various signs on the island, and six chapters that are each devoted to stories about the following people and their contributions to Wildwood (noted below in the order they're presented in the book):


-Fedele (Fred) Musso, owner of Ultra Neon in Wildwood, who has rescued many neon signs and other Wildwood related artifacts, and restored many of these signs. He creates excellent new signs as well.

-Bob and Randy Hentges, the father and son team behind Wildwood's ABS Signs, who have - and continue to - created many of the great signs seen across Wildwood, on motels and otherwise. They also do restoration of vintage signs, and recreation of them where needed.

-Richard Stokes - Architect behind Stokes Architecture, who created The StarLux from the Wingate Motel over 10 years ago, the renovation and expansion of The Shalimar Motel, and many other projects in Wildwood including the large Wildwood sign with beach balls at the end of Rio Grande Avenue by the Boardwalk.

-Jack Morey - Jack almost needs no introduction. He and his family have added immensely to what has made Wildwood great over the years, and continue to do so. Between their amusement piers on the Boardwalk and the many motels on the island the family has created - some of which they still own, like the Pan American Hotel and the Jolly Roger - plus other contributions, it'd be hard to imagine Wildwood without him/them.

-David and Eric Bard - Another father and son team, both excellent photographers. David started Aladdin Color, which Eric runs to this day. Aladdin has probably printed and created more Wildwood motel brochures + guide listings than any one company over the years, and they have the greatest collection of vintage Wildwood images in existence. A portion of these pictures (along with others) can be viewed on Eric's RetroStockPix.com, which also licenses the images for use.

-Dan MacElrevey - Dan is one of the main forces behind the Doo Wop Preservation League, which in part intends to (using the site's words) "promote the preservation of the largest collection of mid-century or 'Doo Wop' resort architecture found in the United States, right here in the Wildwoods". In addition, Dan is a principal of Ocean Property Management Corp. in Wildwood, and has also owned businesses on the island, including the Granada Motel at one time.


I imagine that some of you who enjoy this site might already have the Williams' book. If you do, maybe the following interview will make you want to read or look through it again if you haven't in a while. If you don't have the book, it is well worth your time and money.


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The Wildwood’s Motel Memories and Neon Nights book has some stories of your early visits to the island, including staying in nearby (but inland) Del Haven. Had your Mom or Dad visited the area before you were born? Who was the first of them to visit?

Melinda:
Yes. My maternal grandfather, Daniel Minutella, built a house in the Villas in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. He lived in South Philadelphia and took the bus down the shore each weekend with his toolbox in tow, to work on the house. It took him many years to complete it.


When your family bought a house in Del Haven, was it one they previously rented?

Melinda:
No. My parents chose Del Haven because it was two miles away from where my grandparents owned a home in the Villas (and the family sold it when my grand parents passed away). In fact, my mother used part of her inheritance as the down payment on Del Haven. Plus, my Mom’s sister lived on the next street. Del Haven was all the rage in 1965. :)


How old were you when you had your first trip to the area? Did you always visit Wildwood, even in these first years? What are your earliest memories?

Melinda:
My first trip to the area was when I was a baby, at my grandparent’s home in The Villas. Wildwood was the place to go. The Villas was highly residential and Cape May was utterly “quiet” at the time, so I guess it was my Dad who was drawn to the “bright lights and big city” appeal of Wildwood. My earliest memories of Wildwood were during the time we owned our Del Haven house in the mid 1960’s to early 1970’s. I was about seven years old and Wildwood just mesmerized me. I swore I had never seen a place so beautiful in all my life (and indeed, I hadn’t). To those people who don’t know Wildwood or only know it, as its more “sedate” self, they truly missed something incredible in Wildwood. I’ve been to Las Vegas, but even those lights and neon’s didn’t compare to the mystical lure that Wildwood had to offer. My first memoires are of the motels. The rows of lights that lined the top fascia board and the balconies outlined every property. Every motel was a different color—aqua, lavender, sea foam green---I still fanaticize about it in my mind, when I drive down the strip every summer.


Were you always sort of in awe of Wildwood, or did that come later?

Melinda:
First time we took a drive into town; it was love at first sight.


When did you begin to take notice of the motels on the island, and their special ‘look’? Did any particular ones spark this interest, or was it basically always there? What about the “neon”?

Melinda:
The motels and their special look were the first things that hit me about Wildwood. I was also amazed by movement of the animated neon’s (like what Laura’s Fudge utilizes). The animated neon’s were much more popular in the 60’s. I think kids always look at those kinds of signs with wonderment.


What brought about the change from living off the island when vacationing in the area to actually staying in the motels, instead of just looking at them? How did that feel at first?

Melinda:
My parents sold the Del Haven house in the early 1970’s. At that time, my mother got the New England fever and we spent our summers on Cape Cod, Cape Anne and Maine. I didn’t find my way back to Wildwood again until I was “of age” and in college. That was the summer of 1978. I was eighteen years old.


(The now demolished Catalina Motel, with its green rooftop neon aglow. Image was taken by 'jeffs4653' - this and other Wildwood related images by Jeff - including other now demolished motels and their neon - are available on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffs4653/with/3864470875/):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffs4653/3864470875/



What was the first motel you stayed at? Which ones have followed up ‘til now? Any particular thoughts/memories stand out regarding each of these?

Melinda:
I believe the very first motel was The Catalina. I bet the owners still remember us! After that it was The Hialeah, The Summer Sands, The Carousel, The Royal Hawaiian, The Starlux and some places that didn’t even have names (that I could remember). I remember one weekend I was angry with Bob (it was a Fourth of July weekend) and I went down the shore totally alone. I ended up at a really cool old rooming house in the Crest. Naturally, being me, I was scared silly. But it was a grand old place, very clean and neat…still I was scared silly. Yet, simultaneously I felt VERY independent.


(The also demolished Hialeah Motel. Image was taken by David Bard, and the vintage post card is from the Wildwood Memories and Nostalgia site - the sister to Wildwood365.net Please visit them at https://www.facebook.com/wildwoodnostalgia and http://www.wildwoodnostalgia.com/):
http://www.wildwoodnostalgia.com/2010/09/hialeah-motel.html



When did you first notice the 2000's ‘Demolition Years’ changes in The Wildwoods? Did the tear down of motels during the early part of that period seem like isolated losses at the time? Or did you surmise that their destruction would become part of something much more sweeping?

Bob:
We were alerted to the pending demolition by an advocate in Wildwood. I was a staff photographer at the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time. The week I was down photographing demolitions was like a war zone. No less than fifty motels were in various stages of demolition with the Satellite in mid-demo. Soon after I left, the oceanfront-facing Rio Motel was taken down and the lot still sits vacant.


What made you want to write Wildwood’s Neon Nights and Motel Memories? Any particular occurrence(s) that put really gave you a push to do it? How did you choose the individual topics/people/subjects for the book? Was there anything that you considered for it or wanted to include, but didn’t? Any unfinished parts? Outtakes? ;)

Bob:
The subjects chose us. They were all worthy by their accomplishments and we just recognized that.

Melinda:
I agree, plus we saw Wildwood vanishing each summer gradually before our eyes. I felt it was important for Bob to photographically document what was still here. Then, the stories just started to follow. There were many great stories that we had to leave out or which arrived at the 11th hour. Many stories I would have loved to elaborate on ( and did) , but our publisher edited a lot out. Maybe the next book?

Bob:
I wish I had started sooner. I was having such a great time in the 1970’s & 80’s that I didn’t pause to capture what was around me. If I have learned anything in life it is, that things change. As a photographer you need to document what is interesting to you, simply put, the life around you. The regrets are huge. The fact that I never photographed my favorite uncle or that restaurant I ate crab cakes in during trips to Maine are only memories in the minds’ eye. Boiled down, if you were to take pictures once a year for twenty years of a one-mile stretch of Main St. USA, at the end of twenty years you would have a history. You would see the changes in clothes, cars, signage, buildings, and maybe the road itself.


Was there anything in particular you wanted to accomplish with the book? Or, put another way, anything you wanted the book to accomplish?

Bob:
The book had a dual purpose, which was to document Wildwood in a particular span of time and second to bring awareness that these little motels had architectural significance. We will neither be the first to recognize these or the last to document them. It is an ongoing project that we will dip in and out of as long as we are a part of the Jersey Shore.


Were there any surprises while writing the book? Extra things you learned that you weren’t expecting? Something else?

Bob:
The surprises were many. You would be surprised that people from The West Coast, Canada and Europe have a passion for Wildwood that often surpasses the native Jersey Boys and Girls or the Pennsylvanians.


Favorite motel – one that’s been demolished and one that’s still with us? Any thoughts on them?

Bob:
The two I miss most from an architectural perspective are the Satellite and the Rio. The Rio had the Cadillac of locations and the Satellite was mid-century architecture in high gear.

Melinda:
To decide on just one existing motel would be impossible. Ideally, I’d take parts from all of my favorites (like the view from the Royal Hawaiian, the lobby from the Starlux , the old breakfast nook from the Eden Roc, the check-in area from The Satellite, and the memories from the Summer Sands) to create one fantasy motel!


Favorite neon sign – one that’s been taken down and one that’s still glowing?

Bob:
The Satellite was so large it was hard to save. The one in front of the Doo Wop (Experience Museum and Sign Garden) is a very nice representation. Among those still up there are dozens I love, most created and preserved by Randy Hentges of A.B.S. Signs. To single out one would be unfaithful to the others.


Is there anything you care to add that I haven’t covered?

Bob:
Wildwood is still young as towns in America go. It has potential that is limitless. Nature provided the widest stretch of beach on the East Coast to this vacation town. Mistakes have been made in the name of progress but preservation will prevail. I always end with saying not every structure is worthy of preservation and sometimes even impedes progress. Wildwood, like every great town is only as good as the people who care enough to keep preservation a living process. Thank God for the people who love Wildwood as much as we do!


Thank you both for the interview, and for creating the book.


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For more information on Wildwood's Neon Nights & Motel Memories, please see the sites/contact info linked below:

http://www.wildwoodsneonnights.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wildwoods-Neon-Nights-Motel-Memories/107684635951874

Melinda@TheWilliamsGroup.info

The Reges Oceanfront Resort

(A recent Reges Oceanfront Resort post card. A similar look is used in current promotion, and has since the middle of the last decade):



What's now referred to as the Reges Oceanfront Resort is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. For its first 20 years or so, it was called the Reges Motel, though it's positioning as a 'resort' was there from the beginning, before it ever became part of the Reges' official name.

(The Reges' listing in the GWHM 1973 Accommodations Directory - still shown in its architectural painting form):



The Reges is an interesting building in that it is a large structure that straddles the line between a motel and hotel. It is transitional in style in that it has some elements of the Mid-Century style that was on the wane at the time it was built, and also has some of the look and scale of what was coming in hotel/motel design. It was initially a 6 floor, 55 unit motel when it opened in 1972 and quickly grew by two additional floors by 1974, bringing the total units up to 75. With that addition, the Reges became the tallest motel in the Wildwoods at the time (Ocean Towers was taller, but is not a hotel/motel).

(The Reges' listing in the non-photo 1973 directory - note the total amount of units at 55):


(The Reges' 1975 GWHM listing, courtesy Claudia Metcalfe - it includes a now rare shot of The Reges while it was still 6 floors tall, even though it had been expanded by that point):



When you go up to the Reges from Atlantic Avenue, you're really doing just that - much of the Reges is slightly above ground level. It's not immediately apparent as the u-shaped driveway though the parking lot gradually goes up, then back down on your way out. The drive inward places you right at the lobby's entrance, with a V-shaped/angled canopy jutting out diagonally from the building above you, with lights built in shining down at night. Up through part of the last decade, a round fish pond created a border for the round part of the path, replaced now with half-circle wall with a rounded bench around its interior and plants on top. In the pre-wireless days, a public telephone sat near the lobby entrance. For many years, two pairs of mirror image metal framed glass doors, with dark red carpet below, made up the entrance. These gave way to an automatic sliding glass panel to one side with newer, but similar manual doors to the other, with patterned pavers replacing the red carpet. These are also utilized around the drive-up area, and the entrance/exit by Atlantic Avenue. A long wall sits there between the two lanes showing the Reges' name on raised, backlit letters, with some plants interspersed in front. This sign replaced the original, tall roadside sign that had the motel's name oriented vertically on backlit panels, with a crown outlined in neon at the top, also with some plants around it. Some trees were added between the sections for parking in the 2000's era renovations, which are spotlit from below at night.

(The Reges' original roadside sign, image by Tricia Gdowik aka 'trishylicious' - please see her many Wildwood and other excellent photos on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/trishylicious/):
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/30/61331116_fcbfbd63d4_o.jpg


(The Reges as it appears since the mid-2000's 'Tuscan' renovations - taken from the Reges' official site http://www.regesresort.com/):


(The drive-up area by the lobby - image from the great 'Agility Nut' site by Debra Jane Seltzer - please visit her site for many more images from Wildwood and other places/subjects at http://www.agilitynut.com/):
http://www.agilitynut.com/07/5/reges.jpg



Many, though not all, of the rooms are visible from here, but what you're seeing are the rear of the units. Something of a rarity on the island, the Reges has all of its rooms oriented directly oceanfront, which by design is one of the Reges' best features and one of its strong selling points from the very beginning, so much so that "Oceanfront" became part of its full name. Its layout not only provides some of the best beach/ocean views on the island, but similarly great views westward for most (though not all) guests. All but the ground floor have 10 units on each level, with 6 of these plainly visible outside across the common balcony. The "other" 4 units are at the ends - two at the north end within nooks somewhat hidden from view (with a stairway nearby), and the other two which are entered hotel style from an interior corridor (separated from the common balcony by door) that contains the Reges' two elevators, another stairway, and ice machines on select floors. The 6 "visible" units are all C & D type with floor to ceiling stationary glass in this direction. The rooms off to the sides are either B/E types that have smaller windows in their bedrooms to provide the view westward, or A type units which do not. The first floor has all five of its units within the north half of the motel, with one additional unit immediately to the south side for office/owner use that's connected to the two level lobby which takes up the rest of the ground level of the motel.

(The Reges' oceanfront view):

(Looking westward):



The solid room doors are currently a soft, light green, and match well with the mostly tan brick that clads the buildings on the grounds. The "brick" has lots of stones within, and a rough/textured surface. Ceilings above are mainly white, with trim and supports in a sort of tan with an orange/salmon tint. Half-cylinder white and silver lamps light the balconies. These lights were new for 2011, and their look is a bit of an evolution from some earlier modernist styles. Originally these lights were white translucent squared tubes on the common balconies and a clear globe style on the private ones, later changed to a "cage" style, somewhat flush half-cylinder throughout. On the private balconies, the lights are placed mirror image style, and alternate their pattern between odd and even floors. Balconies are all of a thin vertical bar style - painted white on the common, and a natural metal finish on the private balconies capping off each unit. Rooms at the building ends have a slightly smaller balcony.

First floor units have the uncommon feature of their own individual "balconies" matching the ones in the floors above, with the addition of a section in each of these acting as a swinging gate allowing you to enter and leave your room poolside. Each private balcony is accessible from the rooms via a large sliding glass door. The sliding doors originally used went from the floor to ceiling, and had moveable screens. Those screens were removed over time, and the entire door systems eventually followed - these newer doors are slightly less tall than the originals, but their reduced height doesn't detract much from the view outside within the room. White louvered shutters to each side of the sliding door/window ends were added during a renovation. Two white resin chairs plus a small coffee table are placed on each private balcony, themselves an upgrade of the resin chairs that replaced the original vinyl strap chairs in 1995. Those original chairs had red and green straps, with gold frames. Lounge versions of these chairs, accompanied by upright ones placed around tables, were used throughout the pool area basically as the current chairs are now - both around the pool, and on the sundeck one level up from the ground. Current pool area chairs are resin framed, but with suspended fabric seating areas in striped off-white and putty. Tables are round white resin. The original tables were a stone/concrete style with various shaped pieces of different colored tile within their tops. The deck is utop the detached building that sits at the north end of the pool area. Originally this building served as a game room within, but now splits that duty with also being a multipurpose "hospitality" room that is used daily for children's group activities at peak. It's north side exterior is now shielded to be used as an extension of the interior, making good use of an area once utilized for chair storage in the winter.

(The Reges' pool area since the Tuscan themed renovations, seen from above in 2007):



The pool itself is a large rectangular shape, with a separate square shallow pool for small children off to the side at one of the shallow ends of the main pool. The pool once had a 9 foot deep portion at the game room side, two large seats built into each long side of the pool for a total of four seats, a tall slide at the original shallow end, and low diving board at the former deep end. By 1995 the seats were eliminated along with the deep end, with the slide and diving board being eliminated before that. A hot tub was added nearby along with the 'new' pool, with a (now removed) gazebo placed over it the next year. Since the pool's makeover, it is appx. 3 feet deep at each end, and about 5 or so feet deep in the center. Large steps allow you to walk into the pool from each corner of the original shallow end, with blue tiles marking the steps and also accenting the perimeter. A single light within the pool at the end by the deck cycles through various colors at night. A lifeguard's chair sits at the half way point near the beach, with climb up/down flush ladders nearby on each side. The ground surface of the area around the pool was originally a textured concrete where the stones within were quite prominent. While that coordinated well with the "brick" utilized on the motel, it wasn't the most pleasant surface to walk on barefoot, and in more recent years was replaced with smooth concrete that's tinted in a light red.

Railings matching the ones used on the private balconies surround this area, and also the deck borders. Expanses of white painted "beams" sitting on columns were added during the "Tuscan" styled mid-2000's renovations. These create some shade and stand over some of the ground level seating, the hot tub, the entrance to the hospitality room, and also a section of the deck which uses a material roof placed above, colored in a darker variant of the lounge chair pattern. Tall lights sit in a right triangle pattern - two near the beach, and one across at the southern end of the pool. These lights were made over with the "Tuscan" themed renovations in a lantern style, replacing the clear globe fixtures previously used. Two large metal swings once sat at the beach end of the pool area, were intermittantly removed and put back for some years, and eventually taken away altogether.

Adjacent to the pool area, opposite of the hospitality room/deck, is the restaurant/cafe'. It is separated from the pool area not only by railing, but also in level as it is slightly sunken in, with a walkway between the two that leads to the Reges' own beach entrance (in addition to the borough one on Newark Ave.). Within the walkway are some additional freestanding tables and chairs on the pool side of the walk. For many years, there was no seating whatsoever in the area, but in the 90's (now removed) integrated seats/tables were installed into the outer restaurant wall facing this way, below its windows. At the beach end of the restaurant building is its kitchen area which received a seashore mural in 1996, but has since been painted over. Two take out windows are at this end, with a dark green "Reges Cafe" awning over the beachfront window, and the other window facing the motel being unused for years. The roof border to the restaurant on the walkway side once had signs noting some of the food offered, hours, and its interior being "Air Conditioned". An entrace to the cafe' is in this walkway near that rear window, with another entrance door at the end near the lobby. The cafe' was originally detached from the motel like the game room building, but a small shelter was added later connecting the two. This was a good addition as it allowed people to walk into the restaurant from the lobby and not have to expose themselves to inclement weather.

(Two circa 1986/87 images. Note the slide, one of the seats built into the pool perimeter, and the sign on the edge of the restaurant's overhang):



At first blush, the Reges doesn't look very Mid-Century, nor does it seem that its design was meant to be. Some of that influence is in its style though, mostly in some long, sweeping, angled expanses. While the main motel building eschews dramatic, pronounced angles, the influence is reflected in the relatively shallower angle of the north side of the building vs. the south side on both faces of the building. The Reges is widest at its mid-point, with each "side" facing slightly away from each other. The hospitality building also has slightly angled walls, but bows inward facing the pool instead of outward - basically the opposite of the motel. The most dramatic angles were reserved for the restaurant building, which zigs and zags strongly, echoed by the pool area bordering it along the walkway between them. There are also the tapered dividers between the private balconies. Lastly, the Mid-Century aesthetic of theming motels in Wildwood has entered the Reges in a way with the renovations undertaken in the mid-2000's where the changes were done with a Tuscan look to bind everything together. That look might be away from many of the themes chosen when the Mid-Century motels on the island were originally built, but its embrace of a defining theme is not.

(Looking north in 2010):

(Taken a few minutes later looking north on the common balcony):



I've been a regular guest of the Reges for many years, beginning in 1986. I do not run this site with any partiality, so full disclosure is needed. That said, I can't say an actual bad thing about the Reges if I tried. The owners and staff have always treated my family and myself more than well, and when I was younger and would ask a thousand questions about the motel, they never pandered to me or blew me off. I appreciate that til now, and it helped grow my love of all things Wildwood Motel. I can still picture Mrs. Bianchi sitting on the seats that once wrapped around the columns in the lobby, keeping a watchful eye on everything...

(A sampling of various parking permits used at the Reges over the years):


(Vintage brochure images. Note the original jalousie doors seen below. These were later changed to doors with a relatively smaller vented section towards the top, then finally replaced with totally solid doors). Also, the bottom image is somewhat rare as the reservation form portion was often removed and mailed back to the motel:


(Note the reversed image of the pool area):


(The front and rear to the tariff schedule from 1986, which was mated with the brochure above. A rarity intact, as the reservation request portion was often removed and mailed back to the motel.):


(The 1992 brochure, artwork carried over from 1991. By 1992, all the renovations began the year before were complete, despite the older motel room image):


(The brochure from 1993. The motel has now become the Reges Oceanfront Resort.):



(The privacy/service signs used in the past on the room doors.):

The Sea Gull Motel (with the Midway Apartments)

(A image of The Sea Gull Motel as it looks presently. This was added to our Facebook page by Virginia Nichols):



What began as the Sea Gull Lodge in the 1950's was one of the earlier Mid-Century Modern motels built on the island. Like some other motels in Wildwood, it grew over time into the larger form that it is best known for today. Though the Sea Gull's main components have stayed consistent for some time now, in its earlier years occasional growth was the constant.

(The Sea Gull in its original form as the Sea Gull Lodge, courtesy of the Doo Wop Preservation League - http://doowopusa.org/):



The Sea Gull started out as a two-floor structure, its entirity stretching from west to east, with all of its 24 units facing out southerly. Both the original form and full name of the Sea Gull would not make it to the next decade as the business was rechristened The Sea Gull Motel and expanded to add a six rooms at the east end of the building. This addition did not elongate the original building, but juts out at a right angle. Its units (3 on each level) face west, and the new wing also included a "TV Room" common area plus a sundeck surrounding it.

(The Sea Gull Motel's 1961 GWHM Accommodations Directory listing):



A detached lobby also came to the motel at the southwestern corner of the ground, and serves this purpose to the present time. The lobby building sits in the area where the original roadside sign once was and, until the motel added even more units, a newer Sea Gull Motel roadside sign replaced it which sat between the motel and the lobby, placed up against the lobby's extended, flat roof. The lobby's roof wasn't initially flat, but was instead "V" shaped, echoing the look of a sea gull's wings. The sign served as a divider of sorts to the driveway along its Atlantic Avenue entrance.

Back in the period when the Sea Gull's original structure was first built, and for years after, the Sea Gull did not have a pool. It was not totally uncommon for the motels built on the island during the earliest part of the Sea Gull's history to not have a pool, at least initially. This was possibly due travelers tastes of the time which still may have been used to older style hotels that did not have pools. However, general expectations for hotel/motel amenities from visitors was beginning to change around this time to where pools were expected at a beach motel. Some places like the Monaco and the (now demolished) Ebb Tide never added a pool, while others such as the Skylark and the Aztec added a pool later on. The Sea Gull was one of these, but didn't add their pool until 1968. With the passage of the last 40+ years though, it's hard to fathom the motel now without a pool.

(The Sea Gull in the late 1960's after the addition of its pool, from the motel's main site - http://www.seagull-motel.com/):



The largest and most dramatic expansion/changes to the Sea Gull came in 1971 with the addition of a third floor to the entire original building that added 12 units. A new wing was also added across the western end of the property bordering Atlantic Avenue that brought 8 new units. Four of these are placed on each of the second and third levels, and are built over the lobby and driveway. To not take away any units at that end from the original building, a gap was left between the two buildings here, with a balcony extension acting as a bridge between the two buildings - similar to what was done when the motel expanded to the east. These newer west side rooms have the additional feature of two balconies - the common one overlooking the pool used to enter/exit the units (leading to the rooms living room/kitchen areas), and a private balcony by these units' bedrooms, with a view of Atlantic Avenue. A new zig-zag up/down roofline sits above these added rooms, and has become one of the motel's defining stylistic features. Interestingly, the roof only overhangs a bit beyond the dividers between the units added above the original building, while the units in southwest wing have no dividers and not much in the way of a roof overhang over the units. Short, but sharply angled overhangs finish off the roofline. Two new facias, made of tan brick and white stucco, sit below the overhangs, with each containing new signage. These replaced the roadside sign that - due to its location - the western expansion necessitated removal of. The new signs consist of raised pieces with "Sea Gull" in blue and two gulls in black. Illumination behind them lights the name in red while the gulls glow white, to nice effect. The wall facing Atlantic Avenue has "Sea" above "Gull" with the birds hovering above to the side, while the sign towards Cresse Avenue has "Sea Gull" side by side between the birds. More of the brick surrounds the breezeway side of the west wing, and fills in the area between the private balconies.

(The Sea Gull's listing in the 1975 GWHM Accommodations Directory, courtesy Claudia Metcalfe - http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/claudiam1962/Wildwood%20Directory/Motels%20S-T-U-V/SeaGull.jpg):



The pool area is situated towards the east end of the grounds, near the sundeck. The main part of the pool is rectangular, with a divided portion for small children extending out to one side at the shallow end, and an 8 foot deep end. Dark blue tile borders the pools interior, and also accent the steps into it. A mixture of upright and lounge chairs surround the pool area. While they have a hard surface, each of these have cushions. On the deck are more of these chairs, plus some vinyl strap loungers and umbrella covered tables and benches. More vinyl strap chairs are used outside the units - both upright and lounges. The wide balconies allow for the lounge chairs to sit comfortably outside the units without getting in the way of people walking. Room doors are a medium, powdery/soft blue. Trim and other surfaces are white. Room numbers are placed high on each entrance door, with a seagull taking the numbers' place on the private balconies doors. Simple, but neat rounded flush lights mounted to the ceilings above each unit for illumination. Railings vary a bit depending on floor and location, but all are based mostly on a look of narrow vertical bars in a silver finish. The eight private balconies have solid masonry side walls, making them quite private while seated. Tall panes of glass provide good views from within each unit. In the early days of the motel, a divided section was at the very top. Third floor units have their irregular roofline filled in above the windows and doors, but their interior ceilings are angled - the zig-zag roof above is not edge ornamentation. An interesting detail from the original design are the two open squares placed in the dividers between each unit. These got replicated when the eastern expansion was built, but not in the 1971 additions for whatever reason.

(The Midway Apartments' 1975 GWHM Accommodations Directory listing, also courtesy Claudia Metcalfe - http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/claudiam1962/Wildwood%20Directory/Motels%20M-N-O/Midway.jpg):


(The Sea Gull's Midway building as it looks today, from the Motel's Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sea-Gull-Motel/109110302486387):



At the corner of Ocean and Cresse Avenues is another structure which was originally called Midway Apartments. The family who has owned the Sea Gull since 1964 has also owned the Midway Apartments for quite some time, and have used it as an annex of sorts to the Sea Gull. For years the two names were kept distinct, but since (I believe) the late-90's the Midway building took on the Sea Gull name on its exterior. The old name lives on in descriptions for the room types there. The change in name outside necessitated a new sign, and a coloful neon rooftop sign now sits on its eastern end, sloping down the sidewall a bit, pointing guests to the office in the main Sea Gull complex. The neon is quite different than the rather plain, flush black lettering that was once used across the front to identify the building. The Midway's basic form has stayed constant over the years, but changes to facia, railings, etc. have given it a somewhat different feel. Completing the Sea Gull complex is a house between these buildings, towards the back of the property.

(The Sea Gull's 1994 GWCOC Lodging, Business & Vacation Guide listing):


(The 1995 GWHM Visitors Guide listing for the Sea Gull):



My thanks to Virginia Nichols for her feedback, information on, and dedication to the Sea Gull.

Comments are welcome in the comments section here or on our Facebook page.

The American Inn (formerly the Lou Booth Motel)

(A image of the American Inn, courtesy of TripAdvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g46686-d1782806-American_Inn_Motel-North_Wildwood_New_Jersey.html#25831625):



What has been known now for most of its life as the American Inn of North Wildwood began with a different name - the Lou Booth Motel. Lou (Louise) was a local to Wildwood businesswoman who owned "Lou Booth's Chateau Monterey" at 18th and Surf, which was built before her namesake motel. Towards the latter part of its life the Chateau was called Carroll's Club 18. The club has since been demolished, with multifamily development currently sitting in its place.

(A vintage post card with an artist's rendering of Lou Booth's Chateau Monterey, image courtesy of Mark Peyko - http://www.metromonthly.net/):


(A photo of Club 18 in its later years, image courtesy of 'Pentax Travels' - http://www.flickr.com/photos/47730261@N07/4650163586/):



Sometime around 1970, Lou had her namesake motel - the "Lou Booth Motel" - built beachfront between 13th and 14th Avenues in North Wildwood. Like the nearby Matador, it is one of a very few truly beachfront motels in North Wildwood with neither a street nor boardwalk between it and the beach. Around 1974/75 she had a companion motel - the Lou Booth II - built next door, immediately to its south. The "II" version shared quite a bit in common with the original, though her original motel ended up being more attractive to my eye. For a few years the two motels were marketed together, but sometime before 1980 Lou sold the original motel and it became the American Inn. This name has remained to the present time. Lou kept the newer motel for some years, but dropped the "II" from its name after her first motel became the American Inn. This second motel lives on as "Le Boot" condotel.

(A listing for the Lou Booth Motel from my 1973 GWCOC Accommodations Directory - note the image of the motel is reversed, but the rooftop "Lou Booth" sign reads clearly):


(A listing for the Lou Booth Motel and its companion Lou Booth II from the 1975 GWCOC Accommodations Directory, courtesy Claudia Matacalfe - http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/claudiam1962/Wildwood%20Directory/Motels%20J-K-L/LouBooth.jpg):



The American Inn is a 3 story motel with a somewhat irregular shape. Most of its units stretch across the main wing of the motel which is situated from north to south, with the rooms facing the beach and ocean. Each end of the main wing has a cantilevered section where the last column of units "float" above the ground, which also frees up some needed space on the ground but utilizes it in the air. A rooftop sign was placed atop the north end of the main wing facing Ocean Avenue, but has been removed.

The rest of the units are in an east-west wing that juts out near (but not quite at) from the main wing's northern end. The east/west wing also contains the office/lobby and three sundecks. The rooftop sundeck expands out from the north end of the 3rd floor balcony, and takes up the whole rooftop area of the east-west wing. Two smaller decks are on the second floor - one overlooking the pool/facing south, and its north facing twin - both at the beach end of the building.

All units utilize common balconies with shallow dividers placed between the units and have floor to ceiling glass. Oceanfront and south-facing/poolside units have red louvered outer doors, while the northern facing rooms have white doors. Original, curved railings in white stretch across both wings, in front of the units and also the decks. Off-white flagcrete is used around the motel base, and clad the short dividers placed between units. Non-'creted areas are painted white. More flagcrete also surrounds posts that are interspersed in the rooftop deck railings, with a light atop each. Originally, the exterior lamps here and also around the pool area had relatively flat circular fixtures. Over time the post lamps surrounding the rooftop deck changed to a lantern style fixture while the poolside lighting remained original. More recently all these fixtures turned to a round globe shape, similar to the lights near the doorway of each unit. While the current lighting looks fine, the original circular lighting was most distinctive of all.

The pool area is located at the southeastern corner of the grounds. It includes a large rectangular pool, with its most shallow end fenced off for small children. A slide was near the pool's midpoint, and a diving board was at the deep end - both removed like many motels on the island nowadays. The pool has a tile border around the top of its interior perimeter. White railings - made up of mainly vertical bars, with a short horizontal section at the top - mostly surround the pool area. At first glance these appear to be fairly new, but these railings seem to date back to at the least the early days of the motel becoming the American Inn, and possibly back to the Lou Booth days. Parking is available at both the north and south ends of the property, and also behind the motel. The lobby is accessible by either by way of a door connecting it to the pool area (with a sign at the motel's southeast corner pointing to the office, and a vintage "OFFICE" sign hung nearby the doorway) and also streetside by 13th Avenue.

The colors of the motel when it was the Lou Booth lent themselves pretty well to conversion to an American themed motel. The red and white look was there from the start (basically as it is currently), and it even had blue chairs outside. A little more blue, and the "American" theme was reinforced. Red, white and blue USA flag style pattern are now used on umbrellas by the pool and decks. In the Lou Booth era, the umbrellas were a warm toned pattern, but turned to light solid blue in the early "American Inn" days.

(A listing for the American Inn from my 1980 GWHM Accommodations Directory):



Both the north and south ends of the motel's main wing have wall mounted, backlit signs - "American" in red, with the 'i' dotted with a star. A red, white and blue shield with the motel's name and three stars sits below. The use of a star dotting the 'i' goes back many years to the early ads placed for the motel after becoming the American Inn. Another backlit sign - this one at the top of the elevator tower centrally located in the main wing - notes the motel's name in red, with a white background and a blue decorative stripe near the top. Relatively new curved awnings (which don't quite work stylistically) border the overhang to the 13th Ave. office entrance, with a longer, similar awning hanging over the planter below the lobby's beach facing windows. These awnings are both mostly red, with the motel's name in dark blue on a white background, and are lit within at night. Vinyl strap chairs are used throughout the exterior - upright outside the units, with lounges on the decks and around the pool area. The chairs have mostly blue straps, with some red and white straps for accent, and white frames. These style chairs are a nice feature both as a good match for a Mid-Century styled motel and also for comfort. The colors chosen for the outdoor seating also compliment the theme.

(A listing for the Matador Motel from the 1975 GWCOC Accommodations Directory, also courtesy Claudia Matacalfe - http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/claudiam1962/Wildwood%20Directory/Motels%20M-N-O/Matador.jpg):



The American Inn shares some similarities with the Matador two blocks down. These are not enough where the motels lose distinction between each other, but given their proximity/locations and both being originally built around the same time suggest the same builder and/or architect(s) at the least contributed to both motels. Interestingly, some of the changes made to the Matador over time ended up making its look more like the American Inn than it had been when it had its complete original design. Two changes to the Matador did this: the rooftop deck that has become one of the many great features of the Matador was an original amenity of the Lou Booth, but the Matador's rooftop deck did not come until many years later when its main wing grew a floor higher. That addition to the Matador also brought its proportions/look to be more like the American's - both wings of the Matador were initially at the same height, while the Lou Booth always had its main wing one level higher than its east-west wing, like the Matador became after its expansion. The Matador was initially three floors high all around, and its expansion made both of its respective wings each one floor higher than the American's.


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Merry Christmas

I apologize for the lack of updates to this site since the Casa Bahama entry. Between some details not coming together for my next intended subject (the Diamond Beach Resort, which I will get back to at a later date), and this December pulling me elsewhere, I've let things get quieter on this site than I'd prefer. I will most likely make the 24th Street Motel the subject of my next post.

I thank you all for your interest in this site. For now, I wish a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and a Happy Holiday to everyone who has another important holiday in their life at this time of year.

My best to all of you.

(My vintage artificial Christmas Tree, which is about 50 years old as of this writing, and has been in my family since new):

Casa Bahama Motel

The Casa Bahama (or the Bahama House, as one may refer to it in English) was one of the most significant architectural gems ever built on the island. It originally opened in 1959 and sat at the southeastern corner of Orchid Road and Atlantic Avenue in Wildwood Crest. The motel was designed and constructed by Mike Branca, who worked with Lou Morey. However, it has been claimed by author/historian Kirk Hastings that the Casa Bahama was Mr. Branca's own independent project which he worked his magic on, and not a Morey Brothers project. Unlike the building that now sits where this motel once did, the Casa Bahama was very distinctive and stood out even amongst other great looking motels that sprang up near it over time, such as the Tahiti, the Singapore, the Kona Kai, and the Royal Hawaiian. However, the choice for its name was a bit odd - while theming a motel in Wildwood was often an important part of the original design aesthetic, the Casa Bahama's look doesn't really match its name. "Bahama Houses" don't really look like the Casa Bahama did. Get past this disconnect though and it doesn't seem to matter much, because the design was a stroke of genius.

When the Casa Bahama was built, it was part of the earlier wave of motel construction in the Crest. These motels were built on what was previously vacant, virgin land before they were constructed. The Casa Bahama was no exception. It had an early neighbor immediately to its south in the DiLido motel (later renamed as the Dunes), but didn't have a motel to its direct east until 9 years later, when the Kona Kai came to life in 1968. Before that, the Casa Bahama once legitimately billed itself as "ON THE BEACH FRONT", even though it was not positioned to face the ocean and beach. Southeast and diagonally across from the Casa Bahama was the Hi-Lili, which came to be about 5 years after the Casa Bahama. Sadly, all four of these motels which made up this "square" are gone.

(An early post card image of the Casa Bahama, courtesy of "The Duke of Music" - http://www.thedukeofmusic.com/gallery-5.htm):



The Casa Bahama was a mostly two-floor, L-shaped structure. It's most distinctive feature was its multiple A-frame facade. The operative word here is facade, and not in a bad way - if this were true, pure A-frame construction/form, there would be lots of area that would not able to be utilized for room space. So to give the Casa Bahama the "A-frame" treatment while using the land properly for business, the facade was added where needed to complete the look. Why "A frame"? Why not? As it relates to Mid-Century Modern/Doo-Wop architecture, the use of the "A frame" style seems to date back to a design by John Carden Campbell and his California "Leisure House" circa 1950. By 1952, one could buy the plans and kit to build their own 540 square foot complete "Leisure House" for about $5,000.

(an image of the John Carden Campbell "Leisure House" design, courtesy of iModern.com - http://imodern.com/mill_valley,_california_house.html - further information by Kenneth MacDonald and other images at http://www.cabinlogplan.com/cabinlogplan05.php):



This form got further acclaim by the work of architect Andrew Geller, who created his first A-frame house - the Elizabeth Reese House - in 1955. This was a beach house, built in Long Island and featured in the New York Times. An impressed reader then hired Geller to build a similar house for him, also set on the beach in Long Island. "A frame" homes became more popular for a decade or so, then waned. The Casa Bahama was designed and built in this period when "A frame" design was on the upswing, albeit in a "Wildwoodized" form.

(The Andrew Geller designed Elizabeth Reese House, in Sagaponac, Long Island, from the A|N/Architects's Newspaper blog, image contributed by Jake Gorst - http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/15502):



So what did that facade of multiple "A frames" do for the Casa Bahama? For one thing, it gave the motel a look of multiple, narrow pitch triangular houses somehow at the fore of a more conventional shaped building that was its backbone. The whole building was visible, but the "houses" are what caught the eye first. Not only did that make for something interesting to look at, but it was something that could be used as a draw to a motorist passing by looking for a motel to stay at. If that didn't do it, it's roadside yellow, blue, and purple neon sign - with red VACANCY indicator - might have helped.

(Photo taken by the great photographer David Bard. The pictures he took for his Aladdin Color is the finest collection of vintage to current images of Wildwood motels and other businesses from the island - as well as other locations - in existence. Eric Bard continues the great work of his Dad at Aladdin, and also has many photos to see and license for use. Visit the RetroStockPix site at http://retrostockpix.com/ and be wowed):



The A frames at the Casa Bahama also performed a trick of giving the common (open corridor) balconies the appearance of private ones. Not necessarily private balconies for each unit, but did shield off groupings of them. The A frame facade actually allowed for both some privacy and a common balcony - the inner sections of the frames (placed closest to the units) had openings to allow passage between the units, while the outer parts gave some privacy from the whole length of the corridor if one was seated or standing there. Light colored shakes were used for roofing material on the A-frames.

Once walking between those frames, how did you get into your room? Through a door in the center of each unit - a design choice practically unheard of in Wildwood motel. Rooms in motels here typically have their entrance/exits off to one side or the other of each unit. Given the multiple house look of the Casa Bahama, the use of centered doors as on an actual A frame house was therefore a natural extension of the motel's basic design. The doors were a banana yellow over the course of the motel's lifespan, and they included a small exterior light on each door (removed in later years). Trim inside the A-frames and around their edges was a dark reddish brown. This was changed to an even darker brown without the reddish hue in later years which still looked OK, but wasn't as nice as the original color. Railings along the balcony were simple, two bar horizontal type with short vertical posts interspersed, also in the same brown used on the A-frame trim. The motel's masonry structure was painted light blue, with trim in yellow, and brown around the doors. Tan & brown brick was used around the office and residence areas, both facing the pool and wrapping around the corner to the side wall of the motel, facing Atlantic Avenue. This side continued the house-like style, but as is common with other motels in Wildwood, the residence area was given a different look to differentiate it from the rest of the motel. Besides the liberal use of brick, this area also had the beginnings of an A-frame, but cutoff in its upper portion, leaving an isosceles trapezoid shape instead. Besides distinguishing the owners' quarters, I imagine an A-frame here would not jive well with the pattern set by the others across the motel and stick out poorly since it would break up the line of them formed inside the motel's "L" shape. Inside the trapezoid frame was brick at the base, windows to the left and right ends, and a brick clad chimney in the center for the fireplace in the owners' apartment.

(An image of the western facing outer wall of the Casa Bahama, where the owners' quarters were. Picture taken by Al Alven of Wildwood 365.com in late 2004 when the motel was on borrowed time. Please visit the Wildwood 365 site at http://www.wildwood365.com/):



As noted earlier, the Casa Bahama was mainly two floors, with most all of the units across both. However, there was also a portion of the motel that was almost hidden from view which had a sloped roof 3rd floor. This section was located in the middle of the "L" and seemed to contain two units. Just outside of this area on the 3rd floor towards the east wing was a roof top sundeck. Another deck was located on the 2nd floor, at the northeastern end of the motel. The deck was in front of the last unit on that end, overlooking the pool. This unit was contained in a cantilevered section of the motel. That floating section, plus the deck, cut the length of the "A frame" in half at its lower end, diminishing the house look in that portion.

(A portion of the rear of a vintage Casa Bahama post card, courtesy Eric Bard/Aladdin Color - http://retrostockpix.com/):



Walking down from the 2nd floor sundeck led to the pool area, which was also accessible from the 2nd floor balcony at the southwest end of the motel, near the office. The pool itself was mostly a rectangular shape with rounded edges except for its east/shallow end, which had an extended mid section of steps to walk into the water. A diving board was at the opposite, 8 foot deep area. A slide was added later at the shallow end. Initially - as with some other earlier motels - this area did not have any sort of railings, but these were added sometime in the 1970s. A low-rise tan/brown brick wall bordered the pool area, with a small section also around the roadside sign (doubling as a planter there). "Wildwood Palms", some small bushes, and some very nice small double lanterns on posts lined the interior perimeter of this border. When the railings were added around the pool area, the brick border went with them, replaced by plain cement. Parking was around this perimeter, and once featured dark asphalt spaces for the cars to park on with light cement in between each space, instead of painted lines.

(As above, picture by David/Eric Bard/Aladdin Color - http://retrostockpix.com/):


(Vintage post card courtesy of Eric Bard, available at http://www.vacationgadgets.com/productmgmt/results.asp?nCatID=47&nSubCatID=137&sSubCat=Wildwood+Motel+Postcards):



There were two other notable buildings on the island that used an "A frame" look. One was the Galaxie motel of North Wildwood (now demolished), which had two "A frames" on one of its narrow ends. The other is an actual "A frame" building that seems to be used as part of a private home on Park Boulevard in Wildwood proper. Some refer to it as the "Triangle House". It is a cool little red house across from the Acme Market.

(Photo taken 2007 by Frank Szymkowski and posted to the Doo Wop Preservation League's Message Board - http://www.doowopusa.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl):



So what's the legacy of the Casa Bahama, now (as of this writing) gone for seven years? A motel that left people wanting more. More years for it to exist. More of a chance for it to be treated like the gem it originally was, and for it to be restored as such. A wish for more respect by the last purchaser of the property who saw the Casa Bahama as basically something only to be torn down, then replaced by condo development so nondescript in my opinion as to not linger in ones' memory without the use of a tattoo needle and some pretty bold ink. While some adopt the attitude of not wanting anyone imposing their thoughts on what to do with "their" property, such public buildings are not sealed in a vacuum or are removed from public view the way a private home's interior is. Even people who never stayed at the Casa Bahama but were fortunate to have viewed it in person - myself included - and especially guests who returned again and again, often form a bond with such a building. The Mid-Century Modern (aka Doo Wop) motels on the island - past, present, and future - of which the Casa Bahama was a significant standout, enhanced the community to help deliver the promise of every night in Wildwood being a Saturday night. Most of the condo development of the previous decade "replacing" these motels instead convey endless Sunday nights and Monday mornings.


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