Lucy the Elephant facts for kids
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Lucy, the Margate Elephant
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Lucy in 2025
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| Location | 9200 Atlantic Ave Margate City, New Jersey |
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| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | James V. Lafferty |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000493 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Birthday | July 20 |
| Added to NRHP | August 12, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | May 11, 1976 |
Lucy the Elephant is a giant, six-story building shaped like an elephant! It was built in 1882 by James V. Lafferty in Margate City, New Jersey. Lucy was created to help sell land and bring visitors to the area. Today, she is the oldest roadside tourist attraction still standing in America.
Contents
Discovering Lucy's Past
How Lucy the Elephant Began
Building a Giant Elephant!
On December 5, 1882, James V. Lafferty received a special permission, called a patent, from the U.S. Patent Office. This patent gave him the exclusive right to build and sell "animal-shaped buildings" for 17 years.
Lafferty paid for Lucy's design and construction in South Atlantic City, which is now known as Margate. He hired architects William Free and J. Mason Kirby from Philadelphia to design this unique building. Lucy was inspired by Jumbo, a very famous elephant from Barnum and Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. Building Lucy cost between $25,000 and $38,000.
Lucy was first called Elephant Bazaar. She stands 65 feet (19.7 meters) tall, 60 feet (18.3 meters) long, and 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide. She weighs about 90 tons! Lucy is currently the 12th tallest statue in the United States. She was built with nearly one million pieces of wood. Workers used 200 kegs of nails, 4 tons of bolts and iron bars. Her outside is covered with 12,000 square feet of tin. You can find 22 windows placed all over the structure.
Lafferty later built another elephant-shaped building in Coney Island in Brooklyn. He also allowed someone else to build one in Cape May, New Jersey.
Lucy's First Jobs and New Owners
Originally, Lafferty used Lucy to show potential land buyers different plots of land. From Lucy's howdah (a special carriage on her back), people could see amazing views. They could look out over Margate, the Atlantic City skyline, the beach, and the Atlantic Ocean. Today, the howdah is still an observation deck for visitors who take tours.
In 1887, Anton Gertzen from Philadelphia bought Lucy. His family owned her until 1970. Anton's daughter-in-law, Sophia Gertzen, reportedly gave the structure its famous name, "Lucy the Elephant," in 1902. Lucy's head looks like an Asian elephant. Only male Asian elephants have tusks. At first, people thought Lucy was a male elephant, but she eventually became known as a female.
Lucy's Journey Through the 20th Century
During the first half of the 1900s, Lucy had many different jobs. She was a restaurant, a business office, and even a small house. She also served as a tavern for a while, but that closed down. Lucy appeared on many souvenir postcards. People often called her "The Elephant Hotel of Atlantic City." (The actual hotel was in a building nearby, not inside Lucy herself.)
By the 1960s, Lucy was in bad shape and was going to be torn down. In 1969, Edwin T. Carpenter and others started the Margate Civic Association. This group later became the Save Lucy Committee, led by Josephine Harron and Sylvia Carpenter. They were given 30 days to move Lucy or pay for her demolition. Lucy was saved thanks to many fundraising events. Volunteers went door-to-door asking for donations.
On July 20, 1970, Lucy was carefully moved about 100 yards to a city-owned lot. The move took about seven hours. Lucy was closed to visitors for repairs until 1974. The restoration involved adding new steel to support Lucy's original wooden frame. Her howdah was also replaced. A special green glass plug was placed in the howdah platform to let light into Lucy's inside.
In 1971, Lucy was added to both the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. These lists recognize important historical sites.
In 1976, Lucy was named a National Historic Landmark. This happened during the United States Bicentennial celebration, which marked 200 years of American independence.
Lucy in the New Millennium
Lucy's birthday is celebrated every year on July 20. This event includes fundraising, children's games, and lots of fun!
In 2006, lightning struck Lucy. It blackened the tips of her tusks.
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the area near Margate. Lucy remained safe, even though the floodwaters reached her toes. A small booth in the parking lot was blown over, but Lucy stood strong.
On July 23, 2016, Lucy's staff announced her fun, fake candidacy for President of the United States. This was part of her 135th birthday celebration. In 2016, Lucy welcomed 135,000 visitors. About 35,000 of them took the guided tour.
On February 27, 2020, Lucy began allowing people to stay overnight. She was listed on Airbnb for $138 per night on March 17, 18, and 19, 2020. This was the first time Lucy had been lived in since she was rented as a home in the early 1900s.
In August 2021, the Save Lucy Committee announced plans to repair and replace her metal outer skin. They received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service. An inspection in 2021 showed that more than half of Lucy's metal skin was too damaged to fix. The project also received money from the Preserve New Jersey Preservation Fund. Lucy temporarily closed on September 20, 2021. She reopened on December 28, 2022, after some delays. The total cost for this restoration was $2.4 million, which was more than first expected.
In 2023, Lucy set a new record with 42,267 tours given to visitors. This was more than her previous record from 2018.
On January 5, 2023, the City of Margate approved a plan to build a new visitor center at Lucy's site. This proposed two-story building will have a gift shop, information displays, meeting rooms, and restrooms. The new building will be built where the current gift shop is. It will be raised higher to meet modern flood safety rules.
On August 12, 2024, a $500,000 federal grant was announced to help restore Lucy's inside spaces. However, this grant was later canceled on April 11, 2025.
In May 2025, Lucy was voted the No. 1 Best Roadside Attraction in the country. This was part of USA Today’s 2025 readers’ choice awards.
See also
- 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
