This Victorian beach town has the second-largest collection of 19th century houses in America

Cape May Historic District (New Jersey)

Cape May Historic District stretches across exactly 380 acres at the southern tip of New Jersey. Named a National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976, the district holds more than 600 buildings built mainly between 1850 and 1910.

The area has the second-largest collection of Victorian homes in the United States after San Francisco. These buildings show various styles including Eclectic, Stick, Shingle, and Bungalow, many decorated with fancy gingerbread trim—the detailed wooden decorations often found on Victorian buildings.

National Park Service historian Carolyn Pitts called it “one of the largest collections of late 19th century frame buildings left in the United States.” Cape May proudly calls itself America’s first seaside resort, with roots going back to the early 1800s.

The Early Resort Development

Europeans first came to Cape May on August 28, 1609, when Henry Hudson landed on the Delaware Bay shore just miles north of today’s Cape May Point before sailing back to the Atlantic Ocean.

Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey later explored the area in 1621 for the Dutch West India Company, giving his name to the cape. The English took control by the 1660s, starting a new phase in its growth.

Cape May’s resort business took off after the War of 1812 when regular steamboat trips on the Delaware River started bringing visitors from Philadelphia to the Atlantic coast. This new transport option made the seaside town easy to reach for city people seeking ocean air and rest.

Thomas Hughes opened the first Congress Hall hotel in 1816, first calling it “The Big House.” This marked the start of Cape May’s change from small fishing village to popular resort town..

Rise to Victorian Splendor

From the 1850s to 1880s, Cape May reached its peak with up to 3,000 visitors arriving each day during summer. The town rivaled Newport, Saratoga Springs, and Long Branch as one of the top East Coast resort spots.

The resort drew famous guests, including several U.S. presidents. President Franklin Pierce visited in 1855, followed by James Buchanan in 1858, Ulysses Grant in 1873, Chester Arthur in 1883, and Benjamin Harrison in 1889.

President Harrison especially liked Congress Hall, making it his “Summer White House” in 1891. During this time, he handled official presidential business from a special office inside the hotel.

This golden age earned Cape May the nickname “Queen of the Seaside Resorts,” showing its status among America’s top vacation spots. Rich and powerful families from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington made yearly trips to the town’s beaches and fancy hotels.

Stephen Decatur Button’s Architectural Influence

Architect Stephen Decatur Button began shaping Cape May’s unique look in 1863 when he redesigned and expanded the Columbia Hotel. Over the next thirty years, he designed more than forty buildings in town, creating a unified architectural style.

Button’s notable Cape May buildings included the John McCreary House (1869-70), Jackson’s Clubhouse (1872), and the Stockton Cottages (1872). These buildings showed his careful attention to detail and elegant proportions.

His Windsor Hotel, built in 1879 after the great fire, stood as a striking Second Empire style building until it burned down in 1979. The building featured the elaborate mansard roofs and decorative details that were Button’s trademark. Mansard roofs, a key feature of Second Empire architecture, have steep sides with a double slope, allowing for a full extra floor of living space.

Button’s design approach strongly influenced other architects and builders working in Cape May. His preference for clean lines, balanced proportions, and tasteful decoration set a standard that others followed, creating a harmonious look throughout the district.

The Emlen Physick Estate

Dr. Emlen Physick Jr., from a wealthy Philadelphia medical family, hired architect Frank Furness to build his 18-room mansion in 1879 at 1048 Washington Street. This property stands today as an excellent example of Victorian Stick-style architecture.

The Stick style, popular in America from about 1860 to 1890, uses decorative trusses and exposed framing that creates line patterns on exterior walls. The mansion’s unique features include unusual upside-down chimneys, a porch with arches, prominent dormers, and mixed roof shapes.

As the only Furness-designed home open to the public, the estate offers visitors a rare look into this famous architect’s residential work. Furness was a leading Philadelphia architect known for his creative and innovative designs.

The estate played a crucial role in Cape May’s preservation movement, barely escaping demolition in the early 1970s. Its rescue sparked wider efforts to save Cape May’s architectural heritage, making it both historically and symbolically important to the Historic District.

Congress Hall Legacy

Congress Hall’s story began in 1816 when Thomas Hughes built a wooden boarding house that locals jokingly called “Tommy’s Folly,” sure the oversized establishment would fail. This prediction proved wrong as the hotel thrived.

Hughes renamed his successful business “Congress Hall” in 1828 when he won election to the House of Representatives, connecting the property to his political achievement. This link to government would continue throughout the hotel’s history.

After the 1878 fire destroyed it, the hotel was rebuilt with brick by 1879. This new structure later hosted President Benjamin Harrison, who ran official presidential business from a special office within Congress Hall during the summer of 1891, earning it the title of his “Summer White House.”

The Cape May Historic Preservation Commission considers Congress Hall a “key building” within the historic district due to its exceptional historical and architectural importance. Key buildings are defined as structures of such outstanding quality and preservation that they independently enhance the Historic District’s significance.

The Painted Ladies of Cape May

Cape May’s Victorian buildings earned the nickname “Painted Ladies” because of their colorful exteriors that highlight architectural details. This term, however, wasn’t used for these buildings during the Victorian era itself.

The phrase “Painted Ladies” was actually created in a 1978 book about San Francisco’s Victorian homes, long after the buildings were constructed. Technically, a “painted lady” is a house painted in three or more colors specifically chosen to showcase its ornate architectural features.

Almost all Cape May’s historic buildings are wooden structures, creating a unified architectural character throughout the district. Their similar building materials and methods contribute to the cohesive appearance that makes the Historic District so visually striking.

Authentic Victorian color schemes in Cape May evolved through six distinct historical phases between 1820-1920. Modern color choices often include pink and lavender shades that actual Victorians would never have used, as they preferred earth tones and more subtle color combinations. Before the Victorian era, most buildings were simply painted white, as white lead paint was thought to last longer and make buildings look newer.

Decline and Preservation Movement

After its late 1800s peak, Cape May gradually lost popularity as a premier resort destination in the early 1900s. Changing vacation preferences and new transportation options sent tourists to other locations.

Atlantic City became New Jersey’s main beach resort in the 1920s, attracting visitors with its famous boardwalk and entertainment. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Wildwoods, just north of Cape May, became a strong competitor with its distinctive Doo Wop architecture—marked by sharp angles, bold colors, and space-age designs.

The 1970s brought plans to transform Cape May into a commercial resort like Wildwood, with motels and amusement parks. This threatened the Victorian character that makes the town special today.

Architectural historian Carolyn Pitts, called “Cape May’s avenging angel” by author Janice Wilson Stridick, led preservation efforts. Pitts prepared the nomination forms dated February 10, 1976, that secured Cape May’s National Historic Landmark status on May 11, 1976, protecting the town’s architectural heritage from modernization threats.

The Economic Revival Through Preservation

Historic preservation became the foundation of Cape May’s now-thriving heritage tourism economy. What started as an effort to save buildings became the cornerstone of the town’s economic comeback.

In the early 1970s, young preservationists began buying and restoring neglected properties, turning them into successful businesses, shops, restaurants, and bed and breakfast inns. Their work showed that preservation could be financially viable.

The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (now Cape May MAC—Museums+Arts+Culture) was created to promote tourism through historical tours, cultural events, and educational activities. This organization helped visitors appreciate Cape May’s unique architectural character.

The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) of Cape May, established in the 1960s and reorganized under the Municipal Land Use Law of New Jersey, continues to make binding decisions on all construction, repairs, changes, and demolition within the Historic District. This regulatory body ensures that changes to historic properties maintain the district’s character.

These combined preservation efforts transformed Cape May into one of the most desirable vacation spots in the world, proving that protecting historical character can drive tourism rather than hurt it.

Congress Hall Restoration

Congress Hall’s journey from decay to grandeur culminated in a remarkable restoration led by Curtis Bashaw, grandson of former owner Rev. Carl McIntire. The $25 million project began in 1995 after significant legal battles and was completed on June 7, 2002.

The massive undertaking used 75 tons of steel to strengthen the structure, 47 miles of wiring for modern electrical systems, 2,400 gallons of paint for interior and exterior finishes, and 11 miles of plumbing pipe to meet current standards. These improvements modernized the building while respecting its historical character.

Workers carefully cleaned and reinstalled 150,000 bricks and added 18,000 hand-cut slate shingles for the roof. This attention to authentic materials preserved the building’s historical integrity while ensuring structural soundness.

Before this extensive renovation, Congress Hall had never been heated, requiring significant updates during the restoration. This challenge shows the complexity of adapting historic buildings for year-round, modern use.

The completed restoration reestablished Congress Hall as Cape May’s premier high-end resort hotel, demonstrating how historic properties can be successfully adapted for contemporary hospitality uses while maintaining their architectural character.

Visiting Cape May Historic District

The Cape May Historic District is best explored by foot or bicycle, allowing visitors to fully appreciate the architectural details and charming streets at a leisurely pace. The compact nature of the district makes it perfect for walking tours.

Cape May MAC offers guided trolley tours that provide an excellent overview of the district’s architectural highlights. These narrated excursions share stories about the buildings and their inhabitants, bringing history to life.

The Washington Street Mall, a three-block pedestrian shopping area created in 1971, features Victorian-era storefronts housing boutiques, restaurants, and ice cream parlors in the heart of the Historic District. This car-free zone allows visitors to shop and dine while enjoying the historic surroundings.

History enthusiasts can tour the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May’s only Victorian house museum. The 18-room mansion offers a glimpse into Victorian life and decorative arts.

Congress Hall presents 60-minute interactive history tours led by interpreters portraying historical figures connected to the hotel. These engaging experiences highlight the building’s 200-year history as America’s oldest seaside resort.

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