National Register of Historic Places

Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station

Ocean City, Cape May County, New Jersey
Listed
June 13, 2013
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
13000385

About this property

The Ocean City Life-Saving Station (also known as U.S. Life Saving Station 30 and U.S. Coast Guard Station No. 126) is the only life-saving station of its design in New Jersey still in existence. Designed by architect James Lake Parkinson in a Carpenter Gothic style, the building is one of 25 stations built of the 1882 life-saving type. It is also one of six still in existence in the country. Construction on the facility began in September 1885 and was completed in the following year. There were two earlier stations in the northern end of Ocean City before this facility was constructed, and there were two stations farther south on the island. At 4th Street and Atlantic Avenue, the life-saving station was originally near the beach, but sand gradually accumulated, such that it is currently about 1⁄4 mi (400 m) from the coast. In December 1936, the facility was shut down in favor of the larger Great Egg Coast Guard Station, across Great Egg Harbor Inlet. The United States Coast Guard continued to own the property, utilizing it during World War II to store equipment and personnel who patrolled the beach for German submarines and spies. In October 1945, the Coast Guard sold the life-saving station, and for 54 years the building served as a private residence. From 1999 to 2010, a developer sought to demolish the building in favor of constructing three duplexes. After legal battles and intervention from local historic groups, Ocean City purchased the property in May 2010. After a $1.5 million renovation, the life-saving station reopened on December 31, 2017, and six months later reopened as the Ocean City Life-Saving Museum.

Location

801 4th St.
Ocean City, Cape May County, New Jersey
39.28386, -74.56511

Categories

MARITIME HISTORYTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ocean City Residential Historic District
Civil War
0.3 mi
Ocean City City Hall
Industrial
0.7 mi
Flanders, Hotel, The
Industrial
0.8 mi
Ocean City Tenth Street Station
Industrial
0.8 mi
Bay Front Historic District
Listed
2.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station listed on the National Register?

Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 2013.

What type of historic resource is Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station?

Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station?

The period of significance for Ocean City, NJ Life-Saving Station is recorded as the industrial era.

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