Wow! Are you guys in for some
surprises next year when you return to Cape May. The most obvious
change will be the
Washington Street Mall.
 Preliminary
work began October 29 on the mall and will include removal of all trees and
benches. The three block shopping area is expected to get a complete
re-do including new water and sewer infrastructure, new pavers and a
completely new landscape. However, before the transformation is
complete – the expected date is May 2, with a granted extension of
May 16 – things will be a bit messy on the mall. But never fear, the
mall will remain open throughout the entire revitalization of the
mall with one exception - each block will have four consecutive days
where all stores will be closed – a time frame for those dates will
be announced late. The contractor, Bud Concrete of Sewell, N.J., and
project engineers, Remington & Vernick Engineers, will stop work
each Friday at 3 p.m. and have the mall all tidied up for the
weekends, the Christmas Parade and Hospitality Night on the Mall
(December 6-7 from 7-9 p.m.).
The alleyways, like Draper Walk, will be torn up first.
Construction will begin in the 300 block on Perry Street and go
straight through all three blocks digging up a 30-foot section
through the center of the mall, which is 50 feet wide leaving a
10-foot walkway on each side of the mall nearest the buildings.
The $3.5 million project is
 long overdue and was scheduled to have
been undertaken last year, but the, then $5 million, project was
shot down in a voter referendum. This most recently scaled-down
version also got some opposition from the “Concerned taxpayers
Association.” The group sued the city claiming, among other things,
that it was the responsibility of the mall merchants to pay for the
sidewalk replacement. The lawsuit was shot down when Superior Court
Judge Valerie Armstrong dismissed the case filed against the city as
having no legal basis. A public meeting is expected to be held
November 7 in Convention Hall at 9 a.m. At that time, Bud Concrete is
expected to provide a timeline for the project.
No major work has been done on the mall since its inception in 1970
as part of the centerpiece for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
project, which ironically cost $3.8 million. The project closed
Washington Street to traffic from Perry to Ocean streets creating a
pedestrian mall. Houses were demolished on Carpenters Lane and Lyle
Avenue to make way for a thoroughfare and parking to accommodate the
closed street.
Another project which has sparked
CapeMay.com’s interest all year long
 has
been the extreme renovation to the
Sea Mist – a guest
house on Beach Avenue. In a feature we did in April of this year,
Sea Mist co-owner Barry Sharer promised “Everything is going back
almost exactly they way it was.” As the weeks progressed, the Sea
Mist was reduced to a simple one-story frame and everyone was talking
about what a shame it would be if the Sea Mist never rose to her
former grandeur – Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) rules being
what they are.
Concern wasn’t too far off the mark, the Sea Mist is, after all,
not really Victorian. In fact, the 1873 structure, built as part of
a promotion to develop the east end of the island, was originally
only two-stories high. The mansard roof, which functions as another
floor, and the cupola were all added in 1962 after the March Ash
Wednesday Nor'easter by building contractor/owner Fred Morrison.
Sharer, who is the eleventh owner of the Sea Mist, said great pains
were taken
 to
look at old pictures of the house and restore the Sea Mist to her
1962 likeness. According to Sharer, completion is expected around
June 2008. All matters regarding the height of the building and
other structural questions, which temporarily held up construction,
have been settled with the HPC. The windows are going in
now. Siding will start going up in a week or so. Mechanicals have
already started (plumbing and HVAC) and workers are currently
working feverishly to “button up” the outside before winter sets in.
The famous gazebo (or belvedere) will be constructed in Hammonton,
N.J., trucked to Cape May and installed by crane. That will take
several months. As far as the interior work goes, the millwork will
be started soon in Hammonton and is all custom done consistent with
Cape May architecture.
“The building will be more ornate than previously,” said Sharer in
a recent email, “but in a tasteful way. It won’t be too strong. The
building will be lit as will the flag at the top of the gazebo. The
lighting will be in the soffits and will wash the front of the
building to give it a pleasing glow.”
The dimensions of the building will remain the same. Once reopened,
the Sea Mist will no longer function as a guest house, but will
convert to condominium status. Eight
will be sold. The fourth floor unit is a penthouse unit
and will have private access to the roof gazebo and deck, and,
according to Sharer, “It is really an outstanding floor and the
views are terrific.”
One of the reasons Sharer said, the Sea Mist had to be stripped to
bare bones, was that much of the wood had rotted and could not
support the weight of the upper floors.
“We have gone to great lengths,” said Sharer, “to ensure this
building is not only structurally sound, but will be enjoyable to
examine, at a distance or up close. The old timber that held the
building up is still there (now covered with plywood) but no longer
supports the structure. We built a new structure around it to
completely support the building. All the added structure – the
third, fourth floors, gazebo and decks weren’t originally there and
the supporting beams weren’t designed to hold that load. Consequently they were failing. That’s why we have to build a new
structure around it”
Award winning “luxury home builder” Lou Marzilli is the designer
and builder for Sea Mist Condominiums. Plans include for the eight
units – all with an ocean view – include hardwood floors, crowned
molding throughout, and an elevator to each floor. Preconstruction
prices start at $479,000.
The opposite end of town, the
Coachman’s Motor Inn and Rusty Nail Bar and Restaurant (a favorite
haunt for westenders and lifeguards) will be
 facing
a major transformation as well. Demolition is expected to
begin, according to Suzie Meyers of the public relations firm
Jeffrey Weill & Assoc., next year. Once completed, it will be renamed Ocean
House. Ocean House is an equity beach club that, according to its
website, offers all the benefits of a seaside vacation home while
providing luxury hotel services and amenities. The two and three
bedroom “living spaces,” each have a fireplace, pre-stocked kitchen,
and access to the club's private three-tiered, ocean-view pool.
Preconstruction price for the two bedroom is $260,000 and $332,00
for the three bedroom. The Rusty Nail will morph into the Ocean
Table restaurant and amenities will include a terrace for drinks and
a venue for romantic dining, specializing in surf and turf.
Ocean House is owned by Cape May Resorts, a consortium of
businessmen, including Curtis Bashaw, who also own and manage The
Virginia Hotel, Congress Hall, The Inn at 22 Jackson, Cape May
Cottages, The Star Inn and The Sandpiper Beach Club. A completion
date for Ocean House has been set for 2009.
Things to look for in the future? Convention Hall is the next “old
girl” on City Council’s list. Recently, council approved a $75,000
contract to an architectural firm to design a new convention
facility on the oceanfront. The current Convention Hall was built
following the ’62 Ash Wednesday Nor’easter which leveled the old and
far more elegant Convention Hall. This was built as a “temporary
measure.” Tentative plans call for rebuilding the facility in the
same architectural footprint as the original Convention Hall. |
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