By MICHAEL HIRSCH

Special to The Press

At 5:30 p.m. Dec. 28, 2022, there was an unveiling ceremony for Lucy the Elephant in Margate, N.J.

Lucy, built in 1881 by James Lafferty, is a six-story elephant-shaped building example of novelty architecture, constructed of wood and tin sheeting.

Known as the oldest surviving tourist attraction in America, Lucy is located approximately five miles south of Atlantic City and built to promote sales and attract tourists.

Fifteen months ago, a $2.4 million exterior restoration project began to keep Lucy in tip top shape.

Margate’s Dan Walsh sang his very own “Lucy the Elephant Song” after which Lucy was showered in a spectacular display of light.

Richard Helfant, executive director/CEO of lucytheelephant.org spoke initially and served as master of ceremonies.

To learn more about Lucy, along with hours of operation and admission pricing visit lucytheelephant.org.