CAPE MAY POINT — This quaint borough has timeless appeal, but that doesn’t mean one can’t notice the passage of time within the borders of this hidden gem along the sea.
Take, for instance, the year 2007: new homes were popping up that had one theme in common — “dream house.”
Architects were subdividing old lots and producing magically original homes that scratched an itch that was somehow both personal and professional.
Several of the loveliest houses on the island actually date from this wild era before the crash, before the bubble; even though the writing was on the wall, a few brave souls really went for it in that breath before the plunge. Recognizing that this chance might never come again, they gambled on location and good design to win out.
It’s fascinating to look back at how recognizable some of these homes are without being the least bit cookie-cutter. Take the beach retreat at 213 Harvard Ave., right in the thick of the ocean-front splendor that most people think of when they imagine the Point.
It’s only a few steps from the winding path to Coral Beach; one block from St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea, the third-most-recognizable building in the borough after the Cape May Lighthouse and St. Mary’s.
This was Wanamaker Country: the site of the summer camp for wealthy Methodist teetotalers in the 19th century, desperate to live in a pristine natural utopia. Devout employees and friends of the founder brought their families here to drive the city smoke out of their lungs with salty breezes and hymns.
Even the names of the streets give the game away: Harvard and Yale were exactly where they planned to send their healthy minded, strong-bodied, pure-souled sons as soon as they were old enough.
In the meantime, everyone rowed and sailed and hiked and prayed. Surely it would work. Surely this would lead to a new form of Americans utterly free of the vices of the old world. (And the new; since Cape May just down the road had more gambling dens and saloons than year-round residents, and seemed devoted to vice from any and every era.)
There’s something about this spot, perched between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, right where their opposing currents do battle, that awakens odd fervent hopes in the susceptible dreamers.
It’s part of what makes the Point so lovely, and it’s in every line and unique feature of this home. The view from the street is wild and private, with evergreen shrubs and native plants allowed to take up all the room they need on either side of the gravel drive.
The house itself looks intensely modern but somehow familiar, the way older mid-century iterations of modern design hit the sweet spot between forward thinking and a solidity reminiscent of older standards.
The top-heavy tree-house shape of this home stays light with glass and cutouts in the white-cladded exterior, hiding a surprising 1,869 square feet of space in a modest footprint.
The front entrance is like a small glass-clad atrium leading to the very center of the home, then spiraling up in natural wood to the living spaces on the top floor.
The open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen are arranged in a way that feels different from how they are usually grouped in the “great rooms” of today’s new buildings, but they each benefit from the wide views over the dunes and waves below.
This home has more than just ocean views, it appears to be adrift in a previous version of the untouched shoreline, like a time machine from the future that anchored itself in the past at its most verdant.
Four bedrooms are scattered along the way with that central staircase as the spine of the house. Two are suites with ocean views.
One actually opens to the living space to enjoy the same view from the first moment of waking up; built-in panels can be closed if hosting guests or needing a darker room to sleep.
The topmost bedroom has another little window opening over the living space below, again to allow the highest view of the waves.
Every feature of these rooms is built-in or customized to blend with the overall aesthetic: modern yet natural, rugged yet sleek, simple without being a minimal white box.
The two ensuite baths are unlike anything comparable on the market today, with alternating bands of glass, stone, tile and open space so that natural light can do the most work in every private area, and privacy is assured without claustrophobia.
The result is soothing and tactile, like a spa that’s been carved from driftwood and beach pebbles. Despite the rectilinear exactitude of repeating shapes, it almost feels like something organic.
Two more bedrooms await on the first floor, these are joined by a long Jack-and-Jill bath. The front bedroom has the highest ceilings and the back bedroom feels the quietest and most still, like it would be the best room for children or light sleepers. Also on this floor are the laundry room and storage closet, so cleanup after the beach is simple and almost spontaneous.
The space just behind the house, completely hidden from street view, has two storage sheds and an outdoor shower: again, inviting the lifestyle of beach-combing, kayaking, rowing or enjoying all the hike-able nature surrounding this home.
This is only two blocks from St. Mary’s, which is now part of the Cape May Point Science Center and the preserved lands surrounding the lighthouse and Cape May Bird Observatory.
The upstairs deck offers room for stargazing, dining, entertaining and just enjoying the crash of waves and calls of the birds.
To say this home is one-of-a-kind is understating the point. This four-bedroom, three-bath modern shell cottage is being offered for sale for the first time since it was built.
Obviously, something special has to happen between the next owner and this unique spot with so much to give. The next owner should probably be a dreamer, believe in magic and fall in love with the Point.
