The Morning Star Villa in Cape May, New Jersey is a one-of-a-kind historic jewel!
This beautiful structure was originally built in 1884.
It is notable because in 1893, a fourth floor was added above the mansard roof, giving the building a very unusual visual effect.
Zoned residential/commercial, the Morning Star Villa is one of the country’s oldest beach resort destinations.
Interestingly, in May of 1967, the entire building was moved one mile.
Try as she might, House Crazy Sarah could not find a reason why this move was done.
Hurricane flooding mitigation perhaps? If anyone knows, please share!
In any case the large, striking building looks right at home in its current spot.
The Morning Star Villa is comprised of vacation condos for rent or sale, many of them fully furnished.
Depending on where in the building the unit is located, prices ranges from $369,000 to $520,000.
Let’s have a look inside a rental unit.
This particular unit is located on the first floor at the back of the building.
It rents for between $750.00 – $2,025.00 per week, depending on the time of year.
The interior has been fully rehabbed and now has a nondescript neutral hotel vibe with some minor nods to the beach.
This unit has its own private covered porch that looks out over the…. back parking lot. 🙁
Cute little porch, but wouldn’t you rather have the ocean view side?
This is a two-bedroom unit, each with a queen bed and a tub/shower combination.
The unit comes with assigned parking for one car in the parking lot.
Maybe this is not the most desirable unit in the building, but it would still be fun to stay in a Victorian era structure in historic Cape May.
Cape May, in fact, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most photographed seaside resorts in America.
With the likes of the Morning Star Villa, you can see why!
Sources:
https://www.coastlinerealty.com/booking/morning-star-villa-unit-4/133522
www.https://capemayhistory.com/building/1300-block-beach-morning-star-villa
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https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1278&context=hp_theses search for ‘moved’ for a possible idea on the 1967 move.
I would be so disappointed if I rented this place and ended up in such a modern room . It breaks my heart when these beautiful places are robbed of their original original architecture..
Just found a book in my house, America’s Historic Places (Reader’s Digest, 1988). It has one page on Cape May. There’s a photo of Morning Star Villa. “Rescued from destruction during a 1967 urban renewal project, Morning Star Villa typifies the eccentric design of many Cape May houses. Wide verandas with decorative railings……. ocean breezes. ” etc.
Very cool – thanks for leaving a comment Jean! 🙂