Lucy the Elephant

Lucy, the Margate Elephant
Lucy in 2025
Location9200 Atlantic Ave Margate City, New Jersey
Coordinates39°19′14.33″N 74°30′42.85″W / 39.3206472°N 74.5119028°W / 39.3206472; -74.5119028
Built1882 (1882)
ArchitectJames V. Lafferty
NRHP reference No.71000493
No parameter No.383
Significant dates
BirthdayJuly 20 - (Lucy turned 144 years old in 2025)
Added to NRHPAugust 12, 1971
Designated NHLMay 11, 1976
Designated No parameterApril 7, 1971

Lucy the Elephant is a six-story elephant-shaped wood frame and tin clad building, constructed in 1882 by James V. Lafferty in Margate City, New Jersey. Lucy was built with the purpose of promoting real estate sales and attracting tourists to the area. Today, Lucy remains the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America.