Jersey Shore's Lucy the Elephant is seeing some changes. What to know.
The popular pachyderm in Margate isn't going anywhere. Instead, workers are to raze and replace an outdated gift shop and visitor center next to the tourist attraction.
This new building is expected to open at the site by next year's third quarter, said Rich Helfant, executive director of the Save Lucy Committee, a historic preservation group.
Shore security: Wildwood plans new safety measures for summer 2025
The replacement "will include a bigger gift shop, ADA-compliant restrooms, new exhibits, and spaces for everyone to learn about Lucy's history," according to the committee's website.
That history includes the surprising facts that Lucy, built in 1881, initially stood several blocks away in Margate — and wasn't named Lucy.
A Philadelphia real estate developer named James Lafferty commissioned the six-story structure, then called Elephant Bazaar, to draw attention to a largely vacant area between the beach and Atlantic Avenue at Cedar Grove Avenue.
A later owner, Sophia Gertzen, dubbed it Lucy the Elephant in 1902, when the building held a short-lived tavern, according to history compiled by members of the committee.
The Gertzen family in 1970 donated the elephant, then described as "nearly derelict" and facing demolition, to members of the newly formed committee. The building then was moved several blocks to its current location, a city-owned lot at Atlantic and Decatur avenues.
The now-restored elephant was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
With demolition work to begin in April, the committee has moved its gift shop and visitor center operations into a temporary home at a former bank office at Atlantic and Washington avenues.
The committee recently purchased the 2,200-square-foot site, which is across the street from Lucy, for an undisclosed price, Helfant said.
The commercial space, across the street from Lucy, will be the long-term location for administrative offices, Helfant added.
"It will also serve as storage and a warehouse for merchandise being sold in the gift shop. And it will be where our board meets," he said.
In the meantime, the committee's website noted, the interim location will sell Lucy mementos, souvenirs and tickets for guided tours through "the only elephant in the world you can walk through and come out alive!"
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Lucy the Elephant in Margate is to see a new gift shop, visitor center
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Kane County building kayak launches in five locations on the Fox River
New launches for kayaks and other non-motorized watercraft will be opening in Carpentersville, East Dundee, South Elgin, Batavia and Montgomery this fall as Kane County adds more amenities to the Fabulous Fox! National Water Trail. 'We're excited to be bringing this to Kane County,' said Karen Miller, executive planner for the Kane County Development Department. Work has already started on digging out the areas where the ramps will be built at Seba Park in South Elgin, near William C. Bartels Park in East Dundee and at Montgomery Park in Montgomery. Work also is set to begin on a launch at the new riverside park being built in Carpentersville and in a couple weeks on the launch that will go in near Clark Island in Batavia, Miller said. County spokeswoman Julie Mann said the $1.2 million, five-launch project is being funded with money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The Kane County Board in November approved a contract with Earthwerks Land Improvement and Development Corp. to do the work. The county also has notified public land owners as to where the launches will be placed, Miller said. East Dundee was chosen as a site because of the work it's doing to close off part of Water Street for the expansion of Bartels Park and the parking spaces it plans to build near to the launch location, she said. The park is about a block from the village's downtown district. The launch in Carpentersville also will be part of a new park, a site that officials think will make it easy for kayakers to stop and visit the area, Miller said. 'Everything is on track for most of the park construction to be bid and completed this fall,' Carpentersville Village Manager Brad Stewart said. 'The first bid package goes out later this week, with the hope it will be awarded by Aug. 19 and construction started and completed on the parking lot and the non-vertical improvements later this year.' The new launches will join a number that already exist on the Fox River in the Dundee and Carpentersville areas. Those include locations at Timothy R. McNamee Park in Carpentersville, near the footbridge across the Fox River in East Dundee and in the South End Park in West Dundee, which is part of the Dundee Township Park District. The county's forest preserve district also has a launch in the Fox River Shores Forest Preserve off Williams Road in Carpentersville. And while a launch was removed when the Carpentersville dam was taken out last fall, it's still relatively easy to put a craft in the water along forest preserve land off of Lincoln Avenue in that area. What sets the new structures apart from the others already there is their universal design, which Miller said is a step above those built to ADA specifications. The design will allow for easier use for people with disabilities, anyone who uses a wheelchair, adults with arthritis and other health issues, young children and novices boaters, she said. As such, the launches are being custom built for each location by Pennsylvania-based BoardSafe, said Miller, who noted that 10-year-old SEBA Park in South Elgin also has a playground designed for children of all abilities. The new launches also tie into Kane County's connection to the Fabulous Fox! National Water Trail, for which Miller is the co-chair. In June 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the trail as part of the National Water Trails System. According to the its website, the trail encompasses the Fox River as it flows through Wisconsin and Illinois 'to enhance recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, while encouraging protection and sustainable stewardship of the Fox River system.' Miller said Kane County will use about $200,000 of the COVID relief money to pay Gilmore Marketing Concepts Inc. in Elgin to promote the launches and trail.
Hamilton Spectator
9 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Reaction to Trump's 35 per cent tariffs on Canada
'Mr. Carney gave in on key issues, including scrapping the digital services tax on multi-billionaire tech giants, committing to NATO's excessive 5 per cent target, and violating Canadians' privacy rights by signing up to Trump's ominous ICE security state with Bill C-2. But none of this worked. Instead, Trump has slapped Canada with a 35 per cent tariff and continued his attack on our country and workers.' 'We are pleased to see that CUSMA-compliant goods remain tariff-free, including the vast majority of goods Alberta sells to the U.S. such as all oil and gas and agricultural products. That said, it's also disappointing to see tariffs on other Canadian goods increase to 35 per cent. These tariffs hurt both Canadian and American businesses and workers, and they weaken one of the most important trade and security alliances in the world.' 'The White House fact sheet should be called a fact-less sheet when it comes to basing trade decisions about Canada on the fentanyl emergency … The Carney government is right to prioritize a strong, future-focused deal over a rushed one. A little more time now can deliver lasting benefits for an integrated North American economy — and that's well worth the wait.' 'The hike in U.S. tariffs to 35 per cent will harm small businesses on both sides of the border. The fentanyl rationale is even more ridiculous than the decision itself. While it is good news that most Canadian exports will remain tariff-free due to the CUSMA/USMCA exemption, the uncertainty alone will continue to take a toll on Canada's small businesses.'
Business Wire
16 hours ago
- Business Wire
Plug, Transmit, Scale - The Modular Backbone Accelerating High-Speed Data Center Connectivity
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Pluggable Optics for Data Centers - Global Strategic Business Report" has been added to offering. The global market for Pluggable Optics for Data Centers was estimated at US$5.6 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$9.9 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2024 to 2030. This comprehensive report provides an in-depth analysis of market trends, drivers, and forecasts, helping you make informed business decisions. The report includes the most recent global tariff developments and how they impact the Pluggable Optics for Data Centers market. What Are the Key Drivers Fueling Global Demand for Pluggable Optics in Data Centers? The growth in the pluggable optics market is driven by multiple high-impact factors, including exponential data growth, AI workload expansion, and cost-effective network scaling requirements. A primary growth driver is the global explosion in bandwidth consumption-from video-on-demand and gaming to IoT telemetry and cloud-based SaaS operations. This is pressuring data center operators to consistently upgrade from 100G to 400G and beyond without rearchitecting their core infrastructure. The rapid adoption of generative AI and large language models is accelerating intra-cluster and inter-node communication needs. These applications require low-latency, high-throughput optical links-areas where pluggable optics provide both performance and upgrade flexibility. Additionally, the shift toward disaggregated, white-box networking by hyperscalers is reinforcing demand for pluggable transceivers that meet open standards while supporting diverse interface combinations. Supply chain maturity and ecosystem standardization are also facilitating growth. The availability of interoperable, MSA-compliant pluggable optics from multiple vendors reduces procurement risk and fosters price competition. Moreover, emerging markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America are building out hyperscale and co-lo infrastructure, creating new regional demand for both legacy and next-gen transceivers. As network architectures evolve toward software-defined, containerized, and edge-distributed paradigms, the need for agile, hot-swappable, and performance-optimized interconnect solutions will only intensify. Pluggable optics, due to their versatility, scalability, and ecosystem support, are well-positioned to remain the preferred interconnect solution in next-gen data centers worldwide. Why Are Pluggable Optics Fundamental to Data Center Performance and Scalability? Pluggable optics, also known as optical transceivers, are compact, hot-swappable devices that enable high-speed data transmission between servers, switches, routers, and storage within and between data centers. These modules convert electrical signals into optical signals and vice versa, playing a vital role in enabling scalable and flexible network architecture. Available in standardized form factors such as SFP+, QSFP28, QSFP-DD, and OSFP, pluggable optics support various data rates ranging from 10G to 800G-and are critical for bandwidth-intensive applications such as cloud computing, video streaming, machine learning, and virtualized storage. Unlike fixed-line interfaces, pluggable optics offer modularity, allowing operators to upgrade network throughput by simply replacing transceivers without changing the entire switch or chassis. This flexibility is essential for hyperscale data centers and telecom operators adapting to exponential traffic growth and evolving protocol demands. Pluggable optics also support diverse optical interfaces-such as single-mode fiber (SMF), multimode fiber (MMF), and direct attach copper (DAC)-enabling adaptation to different data center topologies and distances ranging from a few meters to several kilometers. As enterprises adopt hybrid and multi-cloud architectures, and as AI/ML workloads demand low-latency, high-bandwidth connections, pluggable optics continue to serve as the physical enablers of next-gen networking infrastructure. Which Use Cases and End-Users Are Driving Demand for Advanced Optical Transceiver Modules? Hyperscale cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Meta are the dominant consumers of pluggable optics. These players operate massive data centers interconnected by long-haul and metro optical networks that require consistent bandwidth upgrades and backward-compatible components. As traffic volumes grow by more than 30% annually in many hyperscale facilities, operators are deploying 400G and 800G transceivers in leaf-spine and spine-core switching fabrics. Co-location data centers, which house multiple tenants and serve enterprise connectivity needs, are another key segment. These facilities require versatile pluggable optics that support interoperability across varied switch vendors and interface protocols. Increasing demand for east-west traffic, driven by virtualization, container orchestration, and microservices architectures, is pushing these facilities to adopt high-density optical links for low-latency inter-rack communications. Telecom operators and 5G service providers are deploying pluggable optics to upgrade fronthaul and backhaul transport layers. Transceivers supporting coherent optics and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) are being integrated to extend reach and capacity in fiber-limited metro environments. Enterprises running private data centers, financial trading platforms, and scientific research institutions are also deploying advanced optics to ensure high throughput, minimal jitter, and reliable redundancy. How Are Technological Innovations Shaping the Next Generation of Pluggable Optics? Rapid innovation in packaging, integration, and signaling is redefining the capabilities of pluggable optics. DSP (Digital Signal Processor)-enabled transceivers now support PAM4 modulation and coherent transmission for higher baud rates and extended reach. 400ZR and 800ZR pluggable coherent optics are being deployed for direct interconnection of data centers over metro distances without needing external line systems-dramatically simplifying architecture. Form factor evolution is enabling higher density and thermal efficiency. QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors allow 400G and 800G transmission in 1U switches while accommodating future standards like 1.6T. Silicon photonics integration is advancing the co-packaging of lasers and modulators within chipsets, reducing power consumption and footprint. Additionally, linear drive optics are being developed for AI/ML cluster interconnects, enabling low-latency, low-power operation without DSPs. Power efficiency remains a critical challenge and innovation focus. Advanced materials, thermal interface designs, and smart power management are being used to reduce the watts per gigabit transmission, especially at 800G speeds. Vendors are also adopting CMIS (Common Management Interface Specification) to streamline module telemetry, monitoring, and predictive diagnostics, thereby reducing network downtime and enhancing lifecycle planning. Report Features: Comprehensive Market Data: Independent analysis of annual sales and market forecasts in US$ Million from 2024 to 2030. In-Depth Regional Analysis: Detailed insights into key markets, including the U.S., China, Japan, Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. Company Profiles: Coverage of players such as Accelink Technology Corporation, ADVA Optical Networking SE, Arista Networks, Inc., Broadcom Inc., Cambridge Industries Group (CIG) and more. Complimentary Updates: Receive free report updates for one year to keep you informed of the latest market developments. Key Insights: Market Growth: Understand the significant growth trajectory of the Switches Component segment, which is expected to reach US$6.2 Billion by 2030 with a CAGR of a 10.4%. The Routers Component segment is also set to grow at 8.2% CAGR over the analysis period. Regional Analysis: Gain insights into the U.S. market, estimated at $1.5 Billion in 2024, and China, forecasted to grow at an impressive 13.4% CAGR to reach $2.0 Billion by 2030. Discover growth trends in other key regions, including Japan, Canada, Germany, and the Asia-Pacific. Segments: Component (Switches Component, Routers Component, Servers Component) Data Rate (100 & 400 Gb/s Data Rate, 400 & 800 Gb/s Data Rate, 800 Gb/s & Above Data Rate) Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 280 Forecast Period 2024 - 2030 Estimated Market Value in 2024 5.6 Billion Forecasted Market Value by 2030 9.9 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 9.8% Regions Covered Global Expand Key Topics Covered: MARKET OVERVIEW Influencer Market Insights World Market Trajectories Tariff Impact on Global Supply Chain Patterns Pluggable Optics for Data Centers - Global Key Competitors Percentage Market Share in 2025 (E) Competitive Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial for Players Worldwide in 2025 (E) MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Explosive Growth in Data Traffic and Cloud Computing Propels Demand for Pluggable Optics Adoption of 400G and 800G Interfaces Expands Addressable Market for High-Speed Pluggables Rise in Hyperscale Data Centers Strengthens Business Case for Advanced Optical Transceivers Shift Toward Disaggregated Network Architectures Drives Deployment of Modular Pluggable Solutions Transition to Co-Packaged Optics Throws the Spotlight on Future-Ready Interconnect Technologies Deployment of AI and ML Workloads Accelerates Demand for Low-Latency Optical Modules Expansion of Edge Data Centers and 5G Infrastructure Spurs Adoption of Compact Form Factors Emphasis on Energy-Efficient Data Transmission Sustains Innovation in Optical Engine Design Integration of PAM4 and Coherent Modulation Technologies Enhances Bandwidth Capabilities Emerging Open Standards and Multi-Source Agreements Promote Vendor Interoperability Rising Demand for QSFP-DD and OSFP Modules Creates Opportunities in High-Capacity Switching Global Rollout of Data Localization Policies Drives Regional Infrastructure Investment OEM and ODM Collaborations Fuel Customized Pluggable Module Development Rapid Adoption of Cloud-Native Architectures Generates Momentum for Scalable Optics Cost Optimization Initiatives in IT Infrastructure Favor Hot-Pluggable Module Deployment Increased Focus on Network Automation and Monitoring Supports Smart Optics Integration Regulatory Guidelines for Telecom and Data Center Equipment Promote Safety and Compliance Supply Chain Constraints and Chip Shortages Pose Challenges to Optics Scalability Growth in Optical Interconnect Research Boosts Development of Silicon Photonics-Based Modules Demand for Seamless Network Upgrades Without Downtime Drives Flexible Pluggable Designs FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS | Some of the 43 companies featured in this Pluggable Optics for Data Centers market report Accelink Technology Corporation ADVA Optical Networking SE Arista Networks, Inc. Broadcom Inc. Cambridge Industries Group (CIG) Ciena Corporation Cisco Systems, Inc. Coherent Corporation Eoptolink Technology Inc. Finisar Corporation (II-VI) Fujitsu Optical Components Limited Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. II-VI Incorporated InnoLight Technology Corporation Juniper Networks, Inc. Lumentum Holdings Inc. Mellanox Technologies (NVIDIA) NeoPhotonics Corporation Nokia Corporation Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations, Inc. For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
