CAPE MAY — Cape May Harbor has a recorded history stretching back a few centuries, when Dutch whalers hid out from very non-fictional pirates cruising the coastline for easy victims, and whaling camps were the data-center boom towns of the day.
Like their modern counterparts, they were entirely dependent on water to work. Even more like their modern counterparts, they made a lot of criminals very rich — all the more reason to have a cozy, tree-lined cove deep inside a natural harbor, protecting the ship and her crew from storms and yachts: the Dutch term for a hunter on the waves.
The trees are gone but that feeling of a safe place to keep watch over the tides remains at 1415 Harbor Lane, where the third-story unit #301 is available for the first time in decades.
The building was built in 1987, back when the island first began to promote itself as a single living entity and not just a dozen separate inns on the coast.
The idea of Cape May as an experience was just gaining acceptance, and though no one was sure when the boom times would come again, they knew they must swing back this way soon. At the time Unit #301 was purchased in 1989 by the owners now putting it on the market today, optimism was sky-high for the island’s fortunes.
In the nearly four decades since, those good times have come and gone and changed their clothes and come again. But the unit at #301 has stood like a sentinel over the shifting tides of the harbor, facing the Lobster House and the parade of scallop boats leaving early every morning to return just after sunrise.
If one’s taste runs more to the nautical than to gingerbread, this is an unbeatable location: not only does this unit come with its own boat slip right at the entrance to the wider harbor, but it’s possible to kayak to Lucky Bones or Mayer’s in less time it takes everyone else to find parking.
The Harbor District has a charm all its own, and the tourists there tend to have sailed in, making a truly international scene at some of the local watering holes.
With so much to see, the most important luxury this space can offer is the view. This home surpasses expectations, with not one but two top-floor decks looking over the maritime scenery from opposite directions.
The architecture of this building is fascinating, especially for the era; those heady days in the late ’80s were usually more about gingerbread fig leaves adorning a pastel-sided box, with maybe a uselessly small turret pasted on somewhere.
This structure offers dueling ways to enjoy the views, with the top two units on the third floor situated among the gables, shading the lower levels like mountain peaks.
One deck is positioned in front of the living area, an easy space to entertain or relax, looking north over the Lobster House and the port. The other, larger deck is a rooftop haven protected from prying eyes by the tops of those gables, but still with views of Schellenger’s Landing and the rest of the island, including the docklands just west of the front door.
This view, in particular, is like peering across history. If one knows what to look for, there are signal lights from almost every era of the island’s recorded timeline.
If one must drag oneself inside, due to rain or bedtime, this unit offers spacious bedrooms and light-filled open plan living space to make life indoors much easier.
With the exception of some new flooring and more recent electrical work, this unit is almost exactly as it was in 1989 when the current owners first moved in: an astonishing sight, especially for those who remember when every brand new kitchen was first built so close to the action, creating a seismic change in how people threw parties or just kept an eye on the kids while the Jiffy Pop heated up.
This unit has been tended with such care, however, that there are no traces of parties or grandkids to be seen. It all still looks brand new.
The entire living area, kitchen and dining area are oriented to look out on that front, north-facing deck. These spaces are designed to enjoy all the natural light and the masts of ships gliding by below.
Two bedrooms flank this space: the primary bedroom has an ensuite bath with the original shower fixtures and a separate vanity outside. The second bedroom is slightly smaller, but has the double glass doors that lead up a short flight of stairs to the rooftop.
If this is a guest bedroom, the guests will be overwhelmed by that view; if this were a home office, one might as well carry the laptop up to the top of the known world to look down over the vast docklands from a comfortable eyrie.
If guests do come to Unit #301, they’ll be spoiled in other ways: there are four parking spots beneath the building, an elevator up to the rooftop level (making the most attractive part of the unit still accessible, a touch some recent builds have forgotten), the guest bath off the center hall and the boat slip with room for a reasonably sized sailboat, wave runners or a good, sturdy paddle boat to prowl the docklands.
Just keep the piracy to a minimum, unless it’s Talk Like Pirate Day (Sept. 19), in which case the entire island will be Ahoying and shivering their timbers starboard and port.
The next owner will have time for shenanigans because this unit has an all-inclusive package with the condominium associaiton: the fee also covers insurance, maintenance, trash removal, WiFi and so much more.
There’s quite a lot to love about this unit, this building and especially this location, but it takes some time to see it all.
The property is listed for $1.1 million with Michelle Roberts-O’Donnell of Long & Foster Real Estate. Call (610) 842-4654 or email michelle.roberts-o’[email protected] for more information or to set up an appointment to see this wonderful home.
