Lucy the Elephant - wikipedia Lucy the Elephant This article is about Lucy, a six - story architectural creation. For Lucy, the Asian elephant, see Lucy ( elephant ). Lucy, the Margate Elephant U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark New Jersey Register of Historic Places Lucy the Elephant, National Historic Landmark, November 20, 2011 Show map of Atlantic County, New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Show map of the US Show all Location within Atlantic County. Inset : Location of Atlantic County within New Jersey. Location Margate City, New Jersey Coordinates 39 ° 19 ′ 14.33 '' N 74 ° 30 ′ 42.85 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.3206472 ° N 74.5119028 ° W ﻿ / 39.3206472 ; - 74.5119028 Coordinates : 39 ° 19 ′ 14.33 '' N 74 ° 30 ′ 42.85 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.3206472 ° N 74.5119028 ° W ﻿ / 39.3206472 ; - 74.5119028 Built 1881 Architect James V. Lafferty NRHP reference # 71000493 NJRHP # 383 Significant dates Added to NRHP August 12, 1971 Designated NHL May 11, 1976 Designated NJRHP April 7, 1971 Elephant hotel redirects here. For the National Historic Landmark located in Somers, New York, see Elephant Hotel. Lucy the Elephant is a six - story elephant - shaped example of novelty architecture, constructed of wood and tin sheeting in 1881 by James V. Lafferty in Margate City, New Jersey, two miles ( 3.2 km ) south of Atlantic City. Originally named Elephant Bazaar, Lucy was built to promote real estate sales and attract tourists. Today, Lucy is the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America. Contents 1 History 1.1 1800s 1.1. 1 Patenting and Construction 1.1. 2 Early use and sale 1.1. 3 Other structures by Lafferty 1.2 1900s 1.3 2000s 2 See also 3 References 4 External links History 1800s Patenting and construction In 1881, the U.S. Patent Office granted James V. Lafferty a patent giving him the exclusive right to make, use or sell animal - shaped buildings for a duration of seventeen years. Lafferty funded the design and construction of his first elephant - shaped building at South Atlantic City, now called Margate. He employed Philadelphia architect William Free for the design, and it was constructed at a cost of $25,000 - $38,000. U.S. Patent 268,503 Initially named Elephant Bazaar, the structure stands at 65 feet ( 19.7 m ) in height, 60 feet ( 18.3 m ) in length, and 18 feet ( 5.5 m ) in width and weighs about 90 tons. It is listed as the 11th tallest statue in the United States. Lucy was constructed with nearly one million pieces of wood, and required 200 kegs of nails, 4 tons of bolts and iron bars ; 12,000 square feet of tin covers the exterior. There are 22 windows placed throughout the structure. Early use and sale Originally, Lafferty would bring potential real estate customers to the howdah ( carriage ) at the top, where he could point out parcels available for sale. Today, visitors to the roadside attraction may take guided tours through the building and access the howdah, which now serves as an observation deck, offering unique views of Margate, Atlantic City 's skyline, the beach, and the Atlantic Ocean. The structure was sold to Anton Gertzen of Philadelphia in 1887 and remained in the Gertzen family until 1970. Sophia Gertzen, Anton 's daughter - in - law, reportedly dubbed the structure `` Lucy the Elephant '' in 1902. Lucy 's head shape identifies the building as an Asian Elephant, and its tusks as a male. In its first few years, the elephant was referred to as a male, but today it is now generally considered to be female. Other structures by Lafferty Lafferty built two other elephant - shaped buildings, though neither survives. The Elephantine Colossus or Elephant Hotel, at Coney Island amusement park in Brooklyn, New York, stood 122 feet ( 37.2 m ) tall, with seven floors of rooms, and legs 60 feet in circumference. It held a cigar store in one leg and a diorama in another, hotel rooms within the elephant proper, and an observation area at the top with panoramic sea views. It burned down in 1896. Another, officially named Light of Asia ( dubbed Old Jumbo by locals ), opened in Cape May in 1884, but was not successful and torn down within 15 years. 1900s Through the first half of the 20th century, Lucy served as a restaurant, business office, cottage, and tavern ( the last closed by Prohibition ). The building was depicted on many souvenir postcards, often referred to as `` The Elephant Hotel of Atlantic City. '' ( The actual hotel was in a nearby building, not inside the elephant. ) Save Lucy Committee - By the 1960s, Lucy had fallen into disrepair and was scheduled for demolition. In 1969, Edwin T. Carpenter and a group of Margate citizens formed the Margate Civic Association, which later became the Save Lucy Committee under Josephine Harron and Sylvia Carpenter. They were given a 30 - day deadline to move the edifice or pay for its demolition. Various fund - raising events, the most successful a door - to - door canvass by volunteers, raised money. In 1970, the building was moved about 100 yards to the west - southwest and a bit inward from the shoreline and completely refurbished. The building 's original wooden frame was buttressed new steel, and the deteriorated howdah was replaced with a replica. A plug of green glass set into the howdah platform refracts light into Lucy 's interior. In 1972, Lucy appeared in the movie The King of Marvin Gardens, starring Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern. In 1976, Lucy was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1980, Lucy can be briefly seen in the opening of the five time Oscar nominated film, Atlantic City, starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon In 1983, Lucy is shown on a postcard with a picture in the opening credits of the film, National Lampoon 's Vacation. In 1986, Lucy appeared on an episode of Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood. Mr. ( Fred ) Rogers was shown taking a short tour of Lucy. 2000s HABS image Every July 20, the building 's birthday is celebrated with children 's games and much fanfare. A large elephant structure, inspired by `` Elephantine Colossus '', ( a larger version of Lucy, built by Lafferty in 1885 on Coney Island ), is featured as the boudoir of Nicole Kidman 's character in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge ' In 2006, The television series, Weird U.S., shown on The History Channel featured Lucy in an episode. In 2006, Lucy was struck by lightning, blackening the tips of the tusks. In November, 2006, the building was prominently featured in an advertisement for Proformance Insurance. Lucy was featured in the 2009 television show Life After People, which illustrated how the environment would take over the structure without people to maintain Lucy. In a 2011 episode of Boardwalk Empire, which takes place mostly in Atlantic City, Agent Van Alden mentions `` a hotel shaped like an elephant '' among the local attractions. In October, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall near Margate. Lucy remained unscathed, although part of the surge reached the building 's toes and a small booth in the parking lot was blown over. Lucy was featured in the 2012 book, Stay Close by Harlan Coben ( ISBN 1101561173 ). On June 14, 2014, The Travel Channel 's Monumental Mysteries featured Lucy the Elephant in an episode. April 18, 2015 : Lucy was featured in the Bill Griffith daily comic strip `` Zippy the Pinhead ''. In 2015, Lucy was featured in the opening credits of a remake of the film Vacation, similar to the original 1983 movie. On July 23, 2016, Lucy announced her candidacy for President of the United States at her 135th birthday party. See also Elephantine Colossus, at Coney Island Cultural depictions of elephants Elephant of the Bastille Charles Ribart and his plan for the site of L'Arc de Triomphe National Register of Historic Places listings in Atlantic County, New Jersey Tillie, another colorful icon of the Jersey Shore References Jump up ^ `` New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Atlantic County '' ( PDF ). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. June 2, 2011. p. 5. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on October 17, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2011. Jump up ^ National Park Service ( 2006 - 03 - 15 ). `` National Register Information System ''. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Jump up ^ `` Lucy, The Margate Elephant ''. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2008 - 06 - 23. Jump up ^ Jacobs, Emma ( July 11, 2015 ). `` Elephants Never Forget -- And At 6 Stories Tall, This One 's Unforgettable ''. www.wnyc.org. NPR. Retrieved October 8, 2016. ^ Jump up to : McMahon, William ( 1988 ). The Story of Lucy the Elephant. Margate, N.J. : Save Lucy Committee, Inc. p. 40. Jump up ^ http://www.njsouth.com/index-lucy.htm Jump up ^ Tischler, Susan ( 2016 ). `` What Happened to South Cape May ? ''. www.capemay.com. Retrieved September 28, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Fears, Danika. `` Historic landmark ' Lucy the Elephant ' survived Sandy ''. The Today Show. NBC News. Retrieved 6 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` Lucy the Elephant ''. CityAtlantic.com. Retrieved 2015 - 03 - 26. Jump up ^ `` TheKidsMagic - Mr. Rogers Episode # 1570 ''. www.thekidsmagic.com. 1986. Retrieved October 7, 2016. Jump up ^ MessyNessy ( September 18, 2015 ). `` The Forgotten Elephant of the Moulin Rouge Garden Party ''. www.messynessychic.com. Retrieved February 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lucy The Elephant, Margate ''. www.weirdnj.com. Weird NJ. 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Lucy the Elephant ''. Monumental Mysteries. The Travel Channel, LLC. Retrieved 15 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` LUCY 'S 135th BIRTHDAY PARTY ''. 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lucy the Elephant. Wikisource has original text related to this article : U.S. Patent 268503 Lucy the Elephant - Official website Roadside America HD Video taken 07 Aug 2009 IMDB : Mr. Rogers ' Neighborhood episode # 1570 ( 1986 ) Weird NJ Visits Lucy the Elephant ( 2007 ) `` House Built Like Elephant Contains Six Rooms '', December 1932, Popular Mechanics Historic American Buildings Survey ( HABS ) No. NJ - 816, `` Margate Elephant, Atlantic Avenue & Decatur Street, Margate City, Atlantic County, NJ '' National Register of Historic Places in Atlantic County, New Jersey Historic districts Bay Front Historic District Bethlehem Loading Company Mays Landing Plant Archeological Historic District Estellville Glassworks Historic District Linwood Historic District Marven Gardens Historic District Mays Landing Historic District Port Republic Historic District John Stafford Historic District Other properties Absecon Lighthouse Atlantic City Convention Hall Capt. Francis Babcock House Barclay Court Belcoville Post Office William L. Black House Amanda Blake Store Church of the Ascension Church of the Redeemer John Doughty House Egg Harbor Commercial Bank Great Egg Coast Guard Station Head of the River Church Holmhurst Hotel Jacobus Evangelical Lutheran Church Capt. John Jeffries Burial Marker Linwood Borough School No. 1 Lucy the Elephant Madison Hotel Mays Landing Presbyterian Church Morton Hotel Neutral Water Health Resort Sanitarium Dr. Jonathan Pitney House Pleasant Mills Samuel Richards Hotel Jeremiah II or Edward Risley House Santa Rita Apartments Segal Building Shelburne Hotel Smithville Apothecary Somers Mansion St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church Ventnor City Hall Weymouth Weymouth Road Bridge World War I Memorial See also : National Register of Historic Places listings in Atlantic County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucy_the_Elephant&oldid=789934467 '' Categories : Commercial buildings completed in 1881 Novelty buildings in New Jersey Roadside attractions in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Atlantic County, New Jersey National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey Tourist attractions in Atlantic County, New Jersey Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Atlantic County, New Jersey Margate City, New Jersey Elephants in art New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1881 establishments in New Jersey Hidden categories : Wikipedia page with obscure country or subdivision Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 10 July 2017, at 15 : 24. 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Question: where is lucy the elephant located in new jersey
Answer: Margate City, New Jersey,