"I was wondering about the place that looks like it was recently renovated called the 'Empress.' But I've never seen anyone around there. What's the story?"

 - B. McFadden, Marlton, NJ

The Empress at 501 Hughes Street. This month's Cape May question is echoed by others like... Is it a Bed and Breakfast? If so, when is it opening? The restoration has been done for over two years. What does it look like inside? Is it as neat and mysterious as it appears?

The answers to these questions are a little complicated.
Yes, The Empress was built with the purpose of opening as a bed and breakfast.

And yes, it is as neat and mysterious inside as one would expect-- not that we've seen it first hand (the owner is out of the country) but we've chatted with a couple of people who have been inside and have had a look at the original blueprints.

It has eight guest rooms, each themed after a queen - hence the name, "The
Empress." Each guest room has its own luxurious bathroom, also themed with regard to European tiles and decor.

At the ground level, blueprints show a spacious parlor with a fireplace, an adjacent living room, also with fireplace, a dining room and big  gourmet kitchen. The architectural firm Olivieri, Shousky & Kiss in Collingswood, NJ handled this restoration of the former "Bell Shields House," circa 1880, which according to architect Paul Kiss, operated as a B&B right up to the sale of the stick-style house to its current owners F & L Victorian Investments located in Mays Landing.

An elaborate wrought iron stairway leads to the Victorian lounge. As with the bathrooms, the floor is handmade porcelain tile imported from England.
An antique ice cream bar along with an antique box office lead into a modern theater to accommodate 16-20 guests for a private screening.

The Bell Shields had a couple of additions dating to the 1930s 1950s. Those were demolished with the present reconstruction.  The Empress as we see it today is composed of the original 1880 structure plus the additions constructed a la 1880 Victorian stick.

The colored glass windows at The Empress are a particular point of pride for
architect Paul Kiss. Each of the building's special colored glass windows were rebuilt as authentic reproductions of the original. Kiss said the Historic Preservation Committee (HPC) were involved in the process. The architectural firm also went looking for authentic Victorian furnishings to complete the look and feel.