Marven Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Marven Gardens Historic District
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 Location in Atlantic County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bounded by Ventnor, Fredericksburg, Winchester and Brunswick Avenues, Margate City, New Jersey |
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| Area | 16 acres (6.5 ha) |
| Architect | Pedrick & Sons |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival, Mission/Spanish Revival, Dutch Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001440 |
| Added to NRHP | September 13, 1990 |
Marven Gardens is a special neighborhood in Margate City, New Jersey. It is located about two miles south of Atlantic City. This area is well-known for its beautiful homes and its connection to a famous board game.
The name Marven Gardens is a combination of two words. It comes from Margate City and Ventnor City. This is because the neighborhood is right on the border of these two towns. Marven Gardens is surrounded by Ventnor, Winchester, Fredericksburg, and Brunswick Avenues. Inside, you'll find streets like Circle Drive, East Drive, and West Drive. Signs on these streets celebrate its link to the Monopoly game. They show "Marven Gardens" on a yellow background. You can also see small house playing pieces on the signposts. Most of the homes in Marven Gardens were built in the 1920s and 1930s.
For many years, some houses in the neighborhood needed repairs. In the 2000s, many homes were bought and restored. They were brought back to their original beauty. Some houses were also raised higher to protect them from floods. Over the last ten years, local residents have worked together. They used money from Margate City to improve the garden areas. They planted many rose bushes, junipers, and hydrangeas. Marven Gardens is now one of the most expensive areas in Margate.
Marven Gardens and the Monopoly Game
Marven Gardens is very famous because it's a yellow property on the original Monopoly game board. However, the game board misspelled the name as Marvin Gardens. This mistake happened when Charles and Olive Todd taught the game to Charles Darrow. Darrow later patented the game. His homemade Monopoly board was copied by Parker Brothers.
In 1995, Parker Brothers officially admitted their mistake. They apologized to the people living in Marven Gardens for the misspelling. Marven Gardens is the only property on the Monopoly board that is not actually located within Atlantic City.
