Lamplighter Motel demolition: Doo Wop architecture still endangered

Although there is a moratorium on demolitions after Memorial Day in Wildwood Crest, the Lamplighter Motel was suddenly deemed "unsafe" and approved for demolition today. It will be replaced by two multimillion dollar single-family homes, each 10,000 sq ft. The hundreds of families who stayed at the motel every summer will be replaced by a couple of rich families.

It might just be one motel, and there are plenty more left. But every demolition gets us further away from being not just a paradise of Midcentury architecture, but also a place that middle-class families could visit. The Wildwoods are being homogenized like Avalon or Stone Harbor. We are being priced out of our island.

We cannot afford to lose ONE more motel. Demolition should only ever be a last resort option. And if it comes to the last resort, then it should be replaced with another motel with the same amount of rooms. Every vacationing family we lose hurts our local economy, our stores and restaurants. This affects all of us.

Preservation is the how we achieve a sustainable local economy in our resort community. Help us make it happen by visiting preservingthewildwoods.com.

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