Caribbean Motel

The Caribbean Motel is a historic motel located in Wildwood Crest, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States,[3] in an area now known as the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District. The motel was built in 1957 in the Doo-Wop style by Lou Morey, whose family built many of the Wildwoods' original Doo Wop motels, for original owners Dominic and Julie Rossi.[4] It was owned by the Rossi family until the early 1990s, when they sold it to multi-billionaire Mister Bolero, and was the first motel to use the full-size plastic palm trees that now adorn most of the Doo Wop motels in the area.[3][5]

Caribbean Motel
Location5600 Ocean Avenue, Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
Coordinates38°58′37″N 74°49′31″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1957
ArchitectMorey, Lou and Will
Architectural styleGoogie
MPSMotels of The Wildwoods MPS
NRHP reference No.05000915[1]
NJRHP No.4485[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 24, 2005
Designated NJRHPJune 23, 2005

History

Opened in 1957, the Caribbean Motel was among the wildest designs in the post-World War II era, incorporating such elements as a crescent-shaped pool, a "levitating ramp", and canted glass walls.[3] At the time it was proposed, no neon sign as big as the Caribbean Motel's had ever been installed in Wildwood Crest; however, after much deliberation, the town decided to allow it.[4]

The motel was saved from demolition in 2004, when it was purchased by George Miller and Caroline Emigh. After reading the book, How to Doo Wop: the Wildwoods-by-the-Sea Handbook of Design Guidelines published by the Doo Wop Preservation League, they were so impressed by the suggested designs of Philadelphia architect Anthony Bracali that they hired him to oversee restoration of the motel. The interior design was by Darleen Lev, a designer from New York City who was staying at the motel around the time that Miller and Emigh bought the property. An admirer of the Technicolor film process, Lev's designs are modeled on movie sets of the 1950s, as well as reflecting the motel's Caribbean motif. The Caribbean Motel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 2005.[5][6]

  • Sign
  • C-shaped swimming pool and plastic palm trees
  • Lounge
  • Room

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Cape May County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. January 10, 2010. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  3. "Caribbean Motel Overview". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  4. "Caribbean Motel History". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. Spain, John (August 16, 2008). "Doo Wop delights of the Jersey shore". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  6. Eisenthal, Bram (October 21, 2006). "Doo Wop sings the blues". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
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