Tangiers, Wildwood Crest, NJ (motel)

Name:Tangiers
Type:motel
Street:6201 Atlantic avenue
City:Wildwood Crest
State:NJ
Zip:08260
country:USA
Phone:609-522-1414
Status:operational

Description:

This one isn't too exciting...

Even thought the name is Tangiers, it was said to have a Polynesian feel to the place. All that I can find evidence of that now, though, is the A frame office. It was designed and built by Lou Morey in 1958.

Man, they sure love their fake palm trees in Wildwood, though. Are they out of metal? There must be a company that makes them.

Here is another picture of the Tangier's Office, this one with out the palm trees. There is also some funny 2x4s on the roof. This photo is at least 3 years old.

Tangiers Office

It gets really cold in the winter in Wildwood NJ down to the 10 to 20 degrees.

Motel owners Dominic and Jullie Rossi made the first plastic Palm tree around 1958.

In the early 60's came Ron Berg, a cop who owned the Mariner Motel. He made his own and other motel owners started buying them from him.

In 1980 Ed Hillar set out to build his own for his back yard pool in Pennsylvania. He made them with a fiberglass trunk and fronds of polyethylene plastic with a UV stabilizer. By 1982 he was making them as his full time job.

In 1984 a Wildwood Motel owner saw his trees at a home and garden show and bought some. They were a lot better than what every one had been using so the rest of the Wildwood motels started buying them from Ed also. As of 2007 Ed was still at it.

The Governor declared the plastic palm trees the "official tree" of the Wildwoods in 2000.

Ed Hiller, plasic palm tree inovater/maker

Love it: Ask Tiki Central! Thanks David. :)

So, it looks like those 2 palm trees use to be tiki torches? That pic also show a better looking overhang than the newer one.

I just did a writeup for Retrp Roadmap on a cool vintage photo website- they have a photo in their collection that shows an angle of the Tangier showing folks playing shuffleboard- just go to their site and do a search for Tiki and you can see it!

http://www.retrostockpix.com