8 Iconic American Roadside Attractions and Their Origins

3. Lucy the Elephant - Margate City, New Jersey

Standing majestically along the New Jersey shore, Lucy the Elephant represents one of America's oldest surviving roadside attractions and a remarkable example of novelty architecture that predates the automobile era. Built in 1881 by real estate developer James Vincent de Paul Lafferty Jr., this six-story, elephant-shaped building was originally conceived as a promotional gimmick to attract potential land buyers to the then-undeveloped South Atlantic City area. Lafferty patented his design for animal-shaped buildings and constructed Lucy using nearly one million pieces of wood, 12,000 square feet of tin covering, and 200 kegs of nails, creating a structure that was both whimsical and structurally sound. The 65-foot-tall pachyderm served various purposes throughout its history, functioning as a real estate office, summer home, restaurant, and tavern before falling into disrepair in the mid-20th century. Lucy's salvation came through community activism in the 1960s when local preservationists recognized her historical and cultural significance, leading to her designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The painstaking restoration process involved moving the entire structure 100 yards inland to protect it from coastal erosion, demonstrating the lengths to which communities will go to preserve their unique cultural landmarks. Today, Lucy serves as a museum and event venue, welcoming over 130,000 visitors annually who climb her spiral staircase to enjoy panoramic views from her howdah. Her enduring appeal lies not only in her architectural novelty but also in her representation of American entrepreneurial spirit and the power of community preservation efforts to maintain cultural heritage.