Story originally written by Ryan Mulligan for NBC10
A historic Wildwood motel has been acquired by new owners who plan to turn the property into a resort while working to preserve the structure’s iconic doo-wop style that Jersey Shore beach town came to be known for, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Madison Resorts paid $10 million for the 108-room Oceanview Motel, located at 7201 Ocean Ave. in Wildwood Crest. The nearly 60-year-old property is being renamed Madison Resort Wildwood Crest, and the company plans to invest $12 million to fully renovate the exterior, lobby and rooms while keeping its doo-wop style. The exterior design and architecture of the lobby will largely be preserved.
Madison Resorts has tentative plans to reopen the four-floor, 90,000-square-foot resort in time for Memorial Day 2023.
The Oceanview Motel closed last November and was set for demolition with plans calling for a new condominium building. Community groups, like the Doo-Wop Preservation League, pushed back against the plans for a residential space. When the deal ultimately fell through, Madison Resorts “jumped on it,” said Dan Alicea, the resort company’s founder and CEO. Alicea said the company was looking for its next project after purchasing the Montreal Beach Resort in Cape May in January. He acknowledged turning the Oceanview Motel into Madison Resort Wildwood Crest will be a much larger undertaking.
Alicea said the property largely fell into disrepair after closing and describes the property as “a complete renovation and restoration project.” By comparison, the infrastructure at the Montreal was upkept and could remain intact.
