Cape May Historic District, Victorian historic district in Cape May, United States
Cape May Historic District is a late Victorian neighborhood containing more than 600 buildings across about 380 acres along the New Jersey coast. The area stretches from the Atlantic Ocean shoreline inland and features significant structures like Congress Hall, the Southern Mansion, and the Carroll Villa Hotel.
The area became a summer resort destination after the War of 1812, with regular steamboat service connecting Philadelphia to the Atlantic coast. This water access made the location attractive to wealthy visitors from the region.
Local builders designed homes using construction guides, blending Gothic, Queen Anne, Italianate, and Greek Revival styles throughout the neighborhood. These different approaches existed side by side in the same streets.
The neighborhood is easy to explore on foot since buildings sit close together along walkable streets. The best time to visit is outside peak season, when the area feels less crowded.
The Emlen Physick Estate on Washington Street holds one of the largest collections of preserved 19th-century wood-frame buildings in the United States. This property offers a rare glimpse into how wealthy residents actually lived during that era.
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