Post-war 1950s America experienced rising economic prosperity and a growing middle class, a boom in the automobile and housing industries, and cultural explosion. For summertime escapes, many families flocked to Wildwood, N.J., for its stretching beaches, seaside boardwalk, amusement piers, and popular nightclubs. The vitality of the period paved the way for “doo wop”—angular elements, space-age imagery, tropical themes and colors, and neon signage—to transform Wildwood’s architectural landscape.
“Doo wop is a language that everybody understands,” says Carolyn Emigh, co-owner of doo-wop icon the Caribbean Motel in Wildwood Crest, which first opened to vacationers in 1957.
The Doo Wop Motel District is officially recognized as the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District by the State of New Jersey, and represents the largest collection of doo-wop commercial architecture found in the United States. According to the Doo Wop Preservation League website, nearly 100 motels stood within this district up until the late 1990s, virtually untouched since their original construction in the 1950s and 1960s. Between 2000 and 2005, however, real estate development led to the demolition of several notable motels, and others underwent significant renovation. Today, approximately 50 vintage motels still stand.
The nonprofit organization works with local businesses and property owners, city planning and zoning officials, and the state historic preservation office to help ensure that the remaining historic structures in the district will be preserved and appreciated for years to come.
Emigh and partner George Miller, who together purchased the Caribbean Motel in the summer of 2004, are among the doo-wop property owners committed to supporting this preservation mission. Thanks to their thoughtful and faithful historic renovation of the motel, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and welcomed as a member of the Historic Hotels of America this year.
“People were very concerned during the development period of last cycle that it would be demolished,” Emigh says. “It’s such an icon and such a signature for the Wildwoods.”
The Caribbean renovation preserved the existing architectural features whenever possible. Philadelphia-based architect Anthony Bracali helped re-invent the property while maintaining its classic design and character. The first winter, Emigh and Miller had one-third of the guestrooms renovated and dealt with the most severe deferred maintenance, which included replacing the upper sundeck and refurbishing the crescent-shaped pool. The previous owner had let the steel railing around the pool and along the upper breezeway and sundeck rust to the point where some of the posts were no longer connected to the ground. “Steel is not the best material when you’re right next to the ocean,” Emigh says. “Obviously it rusts.”
To alter the railing would have changed the exterior appearance, however, so Emigh says they hired a welder to re-weld every post and fix the rust. When existing materials couldn’t be saved, they had to replace them with like materials. For example, they made a concession with the upper sundeck because of wood rot, and covered it with fiberglass.
New York-based interior designer Darleen Lev breathed new life into the guestrooms, re-interpreting classic 1950s kitsch. Authentic and retro-reproduced Eames-era furnishings with Caribbean Deco colors and shapes now define the rooms, a look that extends into the motel’s lobby and lounge. To add to the Caribbean island vibe, each guestroom has green carpet, Sherwin Williams “Lime Rickey” painted walls, and a grass wall above the bed with handmade palm tree artwork that pays tribute to the property’s distinction as the first motel in Wildwood to use full-size plastic palm trees for outdoor decor.
“When George and I first saw the room painted this color, we were aghast,” Emigh recalls. Since their prior experience had been in residential and rental properties, they were thinking from a perspective of people living in the rooms year-round instead of guests who only stay for short periods of time. “The rooms should jump and jive, and they do,” Emigh says. “She really created a lively environment.”
The Cabana Lounge with canted walls was originally a tastefully decorated adult lounge, but it evolved into a game room under the previous owner. As part of the renovation, Emigh and Miller traded in the pool table for a big screen plasma TV with a Bose sound system, and made the space conducive to watching movies or sports games and throwing parties and special events. It has a rattan bar and bar stools, and an original sofa and easy chairs with curved wood arms re-upholstered with leopard print fabric. “It’s my all time favorite place to entertain,” Emigh says. “You can see the ocean, the pool, the sunset. It’s a great indoor environment.”
Over the second and third offseason, they renovated the remainder of the guestrooms and from there they have focused their efforts on finer improvements, like adding 21st century amenities and services. A couple of years ago, the owners installed flat-screen televisions in all the rooms, setup free wireless Internet access, purchased a gas barbecue grill for guest use, and invested in a high-tech heater to extend the pool’s use throughout the season.
Many of the doo wop motels were designed by brothers Lou and Will Morey, whose company, Morey Brothers Builders, built Wildwood’s first motel, Jay’s, in 1952. The architectural lines of the Caribbean Motel nod to the designs of architect Morris Lapidus, whose work included Foutainebleau Hotel and Eden Roc in Miami Beach. The Moreys were inspired by futuristic-looking motel designs they saw while on winter vacations in Florida, particularly those of Lapidus. A lifestyle that consists of working hard throughout the summer, then heading to Florida for six months during the off season, is what influenced Emigh and Miller to get into the hotel business. “Not a bad life for retirement,” she says.
The Caribbean Motel’s Grand Re-Opening Celebration kicks off the season May 5-8. The main event is a Kentucky Derby Party May 7, at which guests can play their favorite horse in a derby auction, win a free weekend for best hat and best dressed couple, and indulge in mint juleps. The Caribbean also holds special events for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends, to name a few, and the season ends with a Fabulous ’50s weekend Oct. 14-16.