Cool Cape May 2021-22

summer events [19]
erful storms, South Cape May was once a thriving,
desirable district.
The years between 1882 and 1884 were especially
momentous for Cape May, with the construction
of the Carroll Villa and the new Atlantic
Hotel on Jackson Street, the Lafayette Hotel on the
corner of Beach Drive and Decatur Street, the Star
Villa on Ocean Street and the famous iron pier.
Additionally, electrical lines were run throughout
the city, along with gas lines.
The iron pier was finished in 1884, extending
the boardwalk 1000 feet over the ocean. The
length of the pier was 30 feet wide and underneath
the main deck a second pier was constructed for
public fishing. The structure included more than
21,000 square feet of space for amusements, shops,
and an 8,000-square-foot dancing pavilion on the
ocean end.
In 1886 the dancing pavilion was enclosed so
that it could be also be used for opera and theatre.
The iron pier was much more than a simple jetty
or boardwalk. It was the place for local gatherings,
social events, dances and weekly concerts. The
citizens of Cape May took great pride in the iron
pier and believed it to be a symbol of the modern
resort into which the city was evolving.
Cape May saw the third incarnation of the
Columbia Hotel when Colonel Henry Sawyer
leased the old Arctic Hotel on Ocean Street in 1890
and renamed it. This time the moniker proved to be