Wow! Are you guys in for some surprises next year when you return to Cape May. The most obvious change will be the Washington Street Mall. Preliminary work began October 29 on the mall and will include removal of all trees and benches. The three block shopping area is expected to get a complete re-do including new water and sewer infrastructure, new pavers and a completely new landscape. However, before the transformation is complete – the expected date is May 2, with a granted extension of May 16 – things will be a bit messy on the mall. But never fear, the mall will remain open throughout the entire revitalization of the mall with one exception – each block will have four consecutive days where all stores will be closed – a time frame for those dates will be announced late. The contractor, Bud Concrete of Sewell, N.J., and project engineers, Remington & Vernick Engineers, will stop work each Friday at 3 p.m. and have the mall all tidied up for the weekends, the Christmas Parade and Hospitality Night on the Mall (December 6-7 from 7-9 p.m.).

The alleyways, like Draper Walk, will be torn up first. Construction will begin in the 300 block on Perry Street and go straight through all three blocks digging up a 30-foot section through the center of the mall, which is 50 feet wide leaving a 10-foot walkway on each side of the mall nearest the buildings.

300 block of the Washington Street Mall

The $3.5 million project is long overdue and was scheduled to have been undertaken last year, but the, then $5 million, project was shot down in a voter referendum. This most recently scaled-down version also got some opposition from the “Concerned taxpayers Association.” The group sued the city claiming, among other things, that it was the responsibility of the mall merchants to pay for the sidewalk replacement. The lawsuit was shot down when Superior Court Judge Valerie Armstrong dismissed the case filed against the city as having no legal basis. A public meeting is expected to be held November 7 in Convention Hall at 9 a.m. At that time, Bud Concrete is expected to provide a timeline for the project.

No major work has been done on the mall since its inception in 1970 as part of the centerpiece for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) project, which ironically cost $3.8 million. The project closed Washington Street to traffic from Perry to Ocean streets creating a pedestrian mall. Houses were demolished on Carpenters Lane and Lyle Avenue to make way for a thoroughfare and parking to accommodate the closed street.

Another project which has sparked CapeMay.com’s interest all year long has been the extreme renovation to the Sea Mist – a guest house on Beach Avenue. In a feature we did in April of this year, Sea Mist co-owner Barry Sharer promised “Everything is going back almost exactly they way it was.” As the weeks progressed, the Sea Mist was reduced to a simple one-story frame and everyone was talking about what a shame it would be if the Sea Mist never rose to her former grandeur – Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) rules being what they are.

Concern wasn’t too far off the mark, the Sea Mist is, after all, not really Victorian. In fact, the 1873 structure, built as part of a promotion to develop the east end of the island, was originally only two-stories high. The mansard roof, which functions as another floor, and the cupola were all added in 1962 after the March Ash Wednesday Nor’easter by building contractor/owner Fred Morrison.

Sharer, who is the eleventh owner of the Sea Mist, said great pains were taken to look at old pictures of the house and restore the Sea Mist to her 1962 likeness. According to Sharer, completion is expected around June 2008.  All matters regarding the height of the building and other structural questions, which temporarily held up construction, have been settled with the HPC.  The windows are going in now. Siding will start going up in a week or so.  Mechanicals have already started (plumbing and HVAC) and workers are currently working feverishly to “button up” the outside before winter sets in.

The famous gazebo (or belvedere) will be constructed in Hammonton, N.J., trucked to Cape May and installed by crane. That will take several months. As far as the interior work goes, the millwork will be started soon in Hammonton and is all custom done consistent with Cape May architecture.

“The building will be more ornate than previously,” said Sharer in a recent email, “but in a tasteful way. It won’t be too strong. The building will be lit as will the flag at the top of the gazebo. The lighting will be in the soffits and will wash the front of the building to give it a pleasing glow.”

The dimensions of the building will remain the same. Once reopened, the Sea Mist will no longer function as a guest house, but will convert to condominium status. Eight will be sold. The fourth floor unit is a penthouse unit and will have private access to the roof gazebo and deck, and, according to Sharer, “It is really an outstanding floor and the views are terrific.”

One of the reasons Sharer said, the Sea Mist had to be stripped to bare bones, was that much of the wood had rotted and could not support the weight of the upper floors.

“We have gone to great lengths,” said Sharer, “to ensure this building is not only structurally sound, but will be enjoyable to examine, at a distance or up close. The old timber that held the building up is still there (now covered with plywood) but no longer supports the structure. We built a new structure around it to completely support the building.  All the added structure – the third, fourth floors, gazebo and decks weren’t originally there and the supporting beams weren’t designed to hold that load. Consequently they were failing. That’s why we have to build a new structure around it.”

Award winning “luxury home builder” Lou Marzilli is the designer and builder for Sea Mist Condominiums. Plans include for the eight units – all with an ocean view – include hardwood floors, crowned molding throughout, and an elevator to each floor. Preconstruction prices start at $479,000.

The opposite end of town, the Coachman’s Motor Inn and Rusty Nail Bar and Restaurant (a favorite haunt for westenders and lifeguards) will be facing a major transformation as well. Demolition is expected to begin, according to Suzie Meyers of the public relations firm Jeffrey Weill & Assoc., next year. Once completed, it will be renamed Ocean House. Ocean House is an equity beach club that, according to its website, offers all the benefits of a seaside vacation home while providing luxury hotel services and amenities. The two and three bedroom “living spaces,” each have a fireplace, pre-stocked kitchen, and access to the club’s private three-tiered, ocean-view pool. Preconstruction price for the two bedroom is $260,000 and $332,00 for the three bedroom. The Rusty Nail will morph into the Ocean Table restaurant and amenities will include a terrace for drinks and a venue for romantic dining, specializing in surf and turf.

The Ocean House in Cape May

Ocean House is owned by Cape May Resorts, a consortium of businessmen, including Curtis Bashaw, who also own and manage The Virginia Hotel, Congress Hall, The Inn at 22 Jackson, Cape May Cottages, The Star Inn and The Sandpiper Beach Club. A completion date for Ocean House has been set for 2009.

Things to look for in the future? Convention Hall is the next “old girl” on City Council’s list. Recently, council approved a $75,000 contract to an architectural firm to design a new convention facility on the oceanfront. The current Convention Hall was built following the ’62 Ash Wednesday Nor’easter which leveled the old and far more elegant Convention Hall. This was built as a “temporary measure.” Tentative plans call for rebuilding the facility in the same architectural footprint as the original Convention Hall.