"Classic" Wildwood Revisited?

[Al Alven]

As I mentioned in the "Anchor Beach Resort" thread, looking at the rendering that Thom posted and proposed sketches I've seen of the Pointe at Moore's Inlet complex reminds me of several pictures I've seen of the old, stately hotels that used to dot the Wildwoods' landscape.

Below is the Anchor Beach rendering, courtesy of Thom, followed by a postcard of the old Manor Hotel (located where the Hawaiian Rumble pancake house on Surf Ave. in North Wildwood is now) from my collection.

Obviously, these are not exact matches, but it seems as if at least some inspiration for the Anchor Beach and other upcoming projects has been pulled from the collective spirt of the "older" (as in, pre-Doo Wop) Wildwood architecture.

Or, maybe it's just me. I don't know, judge for yourself...

Either way, I applaud such nods to the island's past, and look forward to (hopefully) seeing more unique developments such as this on the horizon.

[wildwanderer]

Al, I definately see a pre-doowop architecture happening. The rendering between the two buildings that I guess seems similar in nature is that the top floor and the ground floor are of different styles than the mid area of the hotel. Also, a grand entrance that is not typical in our doo-wop hotels that we are familiar with. Very similar in the sense of grandness. I like the new idea. Why not bring back the ambiance of the old and mix it with the doo wop like it was before.

[wildre]

Al, neat find. You may be on to something here. If new development continues then maybe a step back to older shore designs would make it easier to swallow? You've hit on a great idea there!

re

[Al Alven]

Thanks, guys.

You know, with all this talk about developers looking to pander to a more "affluent" (and supposedly younger) crowd, it only seems to make sense that some of these new complexes would have more of a distinctive "playground"-type feel to them.

When I see the "same old, same old" condo building designs, they simply remind me of retirement homes. Look all along Surf Ave., that's all you see. The condos taking the place of the Packard Motel, for instance ("The Hamptons of the Wildwoods"... ung.), are just so bland and boring, and are certainly not being built to appeal to an influx of younger buyers.

Now, we've all heard that these upcoming highrise hotels will feature several all-inclusive features -- shops, restaurants, pools, you name it. I would imagine, however, that it is just a matter of time before other condo entities like the Anchor Beach and the Moore's Inlet project follow suit, offering it's residents and others such exclusive amendnities.

But, if a trend such as this is what it takes to help keep the Wildwoods unique, and serve as an outlet that includes others and keeps the island from becoming a stoic series of gated communities, then I feel that this is a very positive movement.

Should be interesting to see how this all pans out...

[Cindy]

Interesting observation, Al.

When I saw the rending of the Anchor Beach Resort, I instantly thought of the hotels in Asbury Park's heyday (1900s). I agree with you that the "pre Doo Wop" design is so much better (and more unique) that the cookie cutter condos.

[homer]

These structures look like historical Cape May hotels (a la the Christian Admiral or Congress Hall). They seem a little more upscale than your typical Wildwood digs ever were.

That is not a bad thing.

I once thought that to preserve the "real" Wildwood, you needed to preserve the old 1900's-era boarding houses. Many of them do still remain. Many of the families that began coming to the Wildwoods in the beginning of the last century stayed in them. It was an affordable way for people to stay at the shore. They'd ride to the shore on a train and stay in a one-room tenement (after all, the beach was the attraction, not the accomodations.)

Imagine what these families were saying as the boarding houses were torn down to make way for the mid-century modern hotels in the post-war era...

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Crippled_Visions]

homer said:

Imagine what these families were saying as the boarding houses were torn down to make way for the mid-century modern hotels in the post-war era...

I'm sure the people were cheering as these places were being torn down. My parents used to stay in the old boarding houses during the 40s and 50s and have no good memories of them.

[Cindy]

You know what, Homer, I never thought of it that way.

"Imagine what these families were saying as the boarding houses were torn down to make way for the mid-century modern hotels in the post-war era..."

Excellent point! What goes around comes around.

[Al Alven]

There was a very interesting thread a while back, where we discussed the changing landscape of the Wildwoods over the years.

What I got out of it, mainly, was a heightened understanding of the sense that change (often of the radical variety) itself has played a major role in the history of the Wildwoods.

It is just sometimes easy to lose sight of this, as the island, in many respects, remained stuck in a time warp from roughly the mid-50s to, well, just a few years ago.

Change is never easy to accept. I do remember my grandparents lementing the disappearance of many of the old boarding houses that helped the island establish its original resort character.

They didn't have the money, at first, to stay in many of the grand, stately hotels like the Manor, and were concerned about being priced out for a while there.

It's interesting how you can draw parallels from that time to today. Many longtime Wildwood visitors are worried about the rising price of many of the motels, and wish they could "turn back the clock" a few years, so to speak.

I've talked to many about the subject of change, including the incomparable Bob Bright, down at the Boyer Museum. Many were sad to see the original boarding houses go, and the eventual disappearance of the old grand hotels was almost unthinkable at one time (though many of the them wound up perishing in fires, and simply weren't rebuilt).

Just a few years back, the demolition of so many mid-century era motels in such a short period of time probably would have seemed unrealistic. And yet, here we are today... incredible how quickly things have changed.

My thought in all of this, is that I believe it would benefit the Wildwoods as a whole to "borrow" from the traditions of the past when possible. The common theme with the boarding houses, grand hotels and "Doo Wop" motels was that the Wildwoods remained very much a public entity through the years.

Many of the condo structures offer such an "exclusive" vibe, that it has given the island a sort of gated, closed-off feel in certain areas. Inclusion is very important, and that's why I believe that projects like the Anchor Beach Resort will be very positive additions to the island's landscape.

[MMM]

cindy said:

You know what, Homer, I never thought of it that way.

"Imagine what these families were saying as the boarding houses were torn down to make way for the mid-century modern hotels in the post-war era..."

Excellent point! What goes around comes around.

Yes, but the way I've understood it at least for the Motels in the Crest, is that most all of these Motels were the original properties built on their land.

[wildre]

mmm said:

cindy said:

You know what, Homer, I never thought of it that way.

"Imagine what these families were saying as the boarding houses were torn down to make way for the mid-century modern hotels in the post-war era..."

True Martin. Anyone remember how far out Diamond Beach seemed from WC? Now they abut each other.


Excellent point! What goes around comes around.

Yes, but the way I've understood it at least for the Motels in the Crest, is that most all of these Motels were the original properties built on their land.