Congress Hall was first built in 1816 and was named after its first owner, Thomas Hughes, who was elected to Congress. Our seasonal Activities & Events will keep the whole family smiling all vacation long. “We really didn’t have enough money to finish the building the way we wanted to, in 2001-2002,” she says. Congress Hall is a wonderful, historic resort hotel which offers to quality service in a luxury property. Enjoy a varied selection of cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner—all without having to leave the grounds of our hotel. - Read 1,490 reviews, view 691 traveller photos, and find great deals for Congress Hall at Tripadvisor. Once known as "The Summer White House," Congress Hall has been a welcome retreat to many throughout the centuries. The hotel is located in the heart of the Historic District, right across the street from the beach and the Washington Street Mall. Columbia? So I think about finding the right protégé who would take it for the next 60 years.” He pauses, and laughs again. For one thing, it didn’t operate on a year-round basis, just in the summer season. July 1985. Congress Hall, located in Philadelphia at the intersection of Chestnut and 6th Streets, served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790 to May 14, 1800. Gilbert Ramagosa and Charlie Sandman. Congress Hall: Lovely piece of history! His Christian Beacon had a circulation of 650,000 at its peak, and McIntire’s radio broadcasts had 20 million listeners over 600 radio stations around the country. Last year, Cape Resorts’ payroll was close to $14 million. Congress Hall is currently closed for a winter refresh and will reopen on March 19th. Enjoy food and drink service from our Beach Menu. Learn More. You’re always stepping into new territory.”, He’s thinking, he says, about adding another two hundred rooms or so to Cape Resorts current properties. “I mean, I’m still good for another twenty years or so! Cape May Tourism The current Trulia Estimate for 207 Congress … “It was hard to prepare,” she says. Once you're here, our Concierge is a great resource on all things Cape May. Edward C. Knight and Annie Knight. Congress Hall and Cape May: New Jersey’s First Resort explores the implicit connections between this significant hotel and Cape May’s development as a seaside destination. “He was not happy, but he never banned me from his house. I wanted that to shine through.”. The structure being celebrated for its bicentennial isn’t, of course, the one first constructed by old Tom Hughes. So the question is, Are we going to be a change agent or not? Complete details of this offer can be found here. The tour guide, dressed in period dress, did a nice job with her "interactive" tour. Does the government own it? Ok, so I booked an ocean view king for my recent 10 year wedding anniversary.. Perhaps Uhler’s main contribution was the addition of a round-faced cocktail joint on Beach Avenue. The tax bills piled up. By 1995, Bashaw and a handful of partners secured financing to buy the Admiral and Congress Hall, then closed and shuttered, from the federal government, which had taken possession of the two buildings, and to pay back taxes to the city of Cape May. This exhibit also considers how Cape May and Congress Hall’s history fits in with the larger community of New Jersey ocean resorts. Hotel’s gone. Congress Hall was first built in 1816 and was named after its first owner, Thomas Hughes, who was elected to Congress. He remembers McIntire, in his trademark white suit and white shoes, coming down to the beach one day, back in 1967, saying, “We just agreed to buy Congress Hall. Led by "Annie Knight" who owned the hotel from 1904-1931, our 60-minute History Tours are an interactive and engaging way to learn all about the Big House by the Sea. (Kelly Roncace | For NJ.com) When he was 21 and a junior in college, Bashaw's grandfather asked him to manage Congress Hall. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976, the Cape May Historic District comprises one of the country's largest collections of free-standing 19th century architecture. The refurbished hotel has quickly established itself as a prime destination for families, featuring annual Easter and Fourth of July celebrations. Please visit the Congress Hall Front Desk for access. One day, while still at college—Bashaw spent two years at Shelton College and then went to Wheaton College in Illinois—his grandfather called him up. Congress Hall in Cape May. Annie Knight, the owner and proprietor of Congress Hall strolls slowly down the building’s central, dark-paneled hallway, guiding guests and tourists through the two centuries since the building was first erected in 1816. “I’ve got to figure out who’s going to deal with this next,” he says, before adding, with a laugh, “Because, you know, I’d hate to see it become a Marriott! Joe Uhler. Does it have anything to do with Congress? Cape May is easily accessible from the Garden State Parkway and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Jacob F. Cake. Beginning in January, when traffic is lightest, workers began ripping out everything, in the hallways and room by room: all the furniture, all the fixtures, carpets. We'll set you up with complimentary chairs, towels and umbrellas on the beach in front of Congress Hall. Congress Hall. By the middle of the 19th century, Congress Hall had earned a reputation as a glittering refuge for the wealthy. In the background is the hotel’s famous soaring colonnade, and at the center is Knight, looking decidedly dour. I don’t think it’s the right choice.’ There was no shunning.”. History buffs welcome: Congress Hall has overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, in the town of Cape May, New Jersey, for over 200 years. Imagine being poor E.C. “It was going through all of this and figuring out what tells the story best,” she says. Benjamin Harrison, our 23 rd president, made Cape May’s Congress Hall his “Summer White House” during his term (1889-1893). Cape May Tourism And he did it all from his headquarters in Cape May. © 2020 Cape Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. “When you go back to 1816, it’s almost the entire history of the country,” says Bashaw. But at least four U.S. presidents have ensconced themselves in one of Congress Hall’s ocean-view suites, though you won’t find Lincoln, Wilson, or the Roosevelts in the mix: Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses Grant, and most notably Benjamin Harrison—who, partisans of Congress Hall are fond of pointing out, settled into a kind of summer White House on the ground floor in 1890 and 1891 while the real White House was being renovated. “He was definitely extreme by most people’s standards, philosophically,” admits Bashaw. Toward that end, he played an instrumental role in organizing a group called the Fund for Cape May to raise money for a public-private partnership whose first project was a face-lift for Rotary Park, now nearing completion. “McIntire built the networks and alliances with the GOP Right that the Jerry Falwells and [others] cemented in the late 1970s.” In a sense, McIntire was the creative genesis behind the Falwell’s Moral Majority and, later, Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition. The hotel, which was nicknamed “Summer House of Presidents” due to its history of presidential guests in the 19th century, underwent extensive renovations in accordance with the National Park Service standards of … “McIntire played [an] underappreciated but utterly crucial role in the politicization of conservative people of faith in the latter half of the twentieth century,” writes author Markku Ruotsila, who inscribed a copy of the book for Bashaw. Stockton? On a Congress Hall History Tour, you'll be guided through this grand hotel's storied past. Congress Hall was built in 1816 and was acquired by Cape Advisors in 1995. In speeches around town, Bashaw has outlined a series of ideas for the future of Cape May, including expanded low-cost and affordable housing, ideas for improving the island’s schools, changes in zoning rules, creation of an expanded, car-free pedestrian town in the city center during peak season, and more attention to the city’s public spaces. Well, almost, since it does refer to or include two congress members. The spacious hall was crammed with the elite of Philadelphia, [with] hundreds of ladies dressed in queenly splendor.”. The new Congress Hall opened in 2002 following a $25 million renovation, utilizing whenever possible the original features of the building. Review of Congress Hall. “They wanted to keep their power base,” says Bashaw. The owners decided to renovate the hotel in 2000, and encountered a lot of activity during demolition. The Congress Hall Bike Shop offers singles, doubles, children’s bikes, surreys and helmets.View Bike Shop Hours, Enjoy complimentary chairs and towels at Congress Hall's Pool, as well as food and drink service from our Pool Bar and Grill. And, sporting its characteristic brilliant yellow brick façade, it still commands its premiere position overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the heart of Cape May city. Please pull up in front of the hotel and an attendant will assist you with your luggage and car. Congress Hall: Congress Hall, Cape May History speaks for itself!!! Sessions are first-come, first-serve. There was trenchant opposition from several quarters in town, and a series of lawsuits and political challenges that turned what should have been a two- or three-year effort into something that dragged on from 1995 until 2002. 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