The swift sword of the Division of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has apparently come down on funding for Lucy the Elephant, the kitschy National Historic Landmark that has graced the Jersey Shore since 1881 and the most famous resident of Margate City.
The nonprofit that operates the six-story, 90-ton Lucy now has to replace the grant for restoration that was awarded last year. The federal government rescinded the $500,000 grant, which was awarded last August and announced by Sen. Cory Booker at a news conference.
The grant was intended to complete interior restoration work at the 144-year-old attraction, a major tourist draw for the local economy. The Trump administration recently rescinded Congressionally Directed Spending grants.
The federal grant would have paid for most of the cost of a fire suppression system inside Lucy. The attraction previously underwent a 15-month long, $2.1 million overhaul that was completed in 2022.
“All of us at Lucy — as well as Senator Booker — are stunned by the sudden breach of contract, which would have covered the majority of the cost for Lucy’s long-planned, much-needed interior restoration,” Rich Helfant, executive director of the nonprofit Save Lucy Committee, said on Friday on a letter posted on Instagram. He said the group remains committed to Lucy’s upkeep.
Lucy the Elephant was built in 1881 by a real estate developer as a gimmick to attract potential buyers for land he was selling south of Atlantic City.
