Christian Admiral

Christian Admiral
Former names	Hotel Cape May Admiral Hotel
General information
Type	Hotel
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Address	1401 Beach Avenue, Cape May, Cape May County, NJ
Town or city	Cape May, New Jersey
Country	USA
Construction started	1905
Opened	April 11, 1908
Closed	1991
Demolished	February 1996
Cost	US$1 million
Owner	Carl McIntire
Other information
Number of rooms	333

The Christian Admiral, formerly Admiral Hotel and Hotel Cape May, was a luxury hotel located in Cape May, New Jersey. Demolished in 1996, it was once the world's largest hotel, known for its majestic architecture and association with Carl McIntire's Christian movement.

History

The Christian Admiral Hotel, originally known as the Hotel Cape May, was the centerpiece of the turn-of-the-century project to revive the tourist economy of Cape May. The massive Beaux-Arts style building was erected between 1905-1908, and was one of the most luxurious hotels of its time. This building is strongly associated with Cape May’s history, with the urbanization of eastern cities in the late nineteenth century and with the development of railroads. The Christian Admiral Hotel is a rare survivor among “railroad hotels,” which were created by railroad developers as a destination for their passengers from the rapidly expanding urban areas like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. The Christian Admiral Hotel is constructed with a steel frame and brick walls, a type of construction that was a new development at the turn-of-the-century and typical of railroad hotels. Its “U” shaped form, its monumental staircase, its progression of spaces from portico to lobby to cross-hall, is all characteristic of railroad hotels and the Beaux-Arts style. The building has been vacant since 1990.

Built between 1906 and 1908, the same years as the ill-fated ship Titanic, her soul and destiny were much the same. She was a brick mammoth boasting 333 rooms and touted as the world’s largest hotel when she opened April 11, 1908.

The hotel was touted as the world's largest hotel at the time it was built and opened on April 11, 1908. The hotel cost $1 million to build. One year later, the hotel was in financial ruin.

During World Wars I and II, it was used as a military hospital. In 1940, the city of Cape May purchased the hotel at a sheriff's sale for $900.

In October 1962, the building was sold to Reverend Carl McIntire’s Christian Beacon Press for $300,000 in an effort to save the structure from demolition. The now “Christian” Admiral operated from 1962 to 1991 as a bible conference hotel.

In 1991, it was closed by Cape May City Officials.

In 1996, the hotel was demolished for a single-family housing development. Its demolition put into question Cape May's National Historic Landmark status.

Carl McIntire said preserving old buildings is American. And the purchase is perservationist.

References

• http://www.capemay.com/blog/2010/07/the-passing-of-the-christian-admiral/

http://www.tks.org/christian_admiral_memories.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/21/nyregion/hotel-s-fate-poses-a-preservation-test.html