The Chalfonte was a hold out, a throw back to Cape May’s earlier days when Victorian architecture was the style of the day instead of a tourism buzzword. Built in 1876 two blocks from the beach, the Chalfonte’s bright white porches, wide green awnings, and rocking chairs all in a row welcomed out of towners eager to get away from scorching city summers.
The hotel hung on as is for decades — save for a small expansion in the 1911. It didn’t modernize, and its antiquity became its calling card, along with the dining room’s fried chicken. (I interviewed a couple who decided to get married there because of that one dish).
The fried chicken was out in display recently at the Cape May Chamber of Commerce Social & Mixer – an unofficial kick off to the summer season for people whose livelihoods depend on it. The Chalfonte makeover was a major topic of conversation.
In 2008, the Chalfonte was sold to the Mullock family, which had owned the Ashley Rose B&B in Cape May. They convinced the previous owners (four people who had fought to keep the Chalfonte as is for the last 30 years) to sell by promising not to change the spirit of the building.
At first glance, nothing looks different. The lobby and reception area are the same. Parts of the porch still sag, and parts of the building that lead to the hotel’s gardens still need to be painted. The dining room, though, has new chandeliers and air conditioning. The ductwork is tucked into corners of the room and covered and painted the same color as the walls.
“If someone hadn’t seen the room before, they wouldn’t notice the difference,” says Mary Stewart, chief outreach officer for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, which hosts events at the Chalfonte.
The biggest changes are in the guest rooms. They have new layouts with private bathrooms and centrally controlled air conditioning. Such changes sound long overdue. Still there’s no telling how Chalfonte regulars will react.
“A lot of the long returning guests are anxious about how the Chalfonte has changed,” says Terry Carr, special events coordinator for the Chalfonte, a job she’s had for 15 years.
The season’s first guests will arrive Memorial Day Weekend. That will be the true test.
We’ll follow up on this one once the Shore season gets going.