Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant is a six-story elephant-shaped building in Margate City, New Jersey, created in 1882 by James V. Lafferty to advertise nearby land and attract tourists. Designed by William Free and J. Mason Kirby and modeled after Jumbo, it became the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in the United States. Over time it served as an observation platform, restaurant, office, cottage, and tavern, and gained the name Lucy the Elephant. Threatened with demolition after severe deterioration, it was moved and restored in 1970 through local preservation efforts. Later recognized on state and national historic registers, it remains a museum and one of the Jersey Shore’s best-known landmarks.

Margate City, New Jersey · United States