Lucy has disappeared behind weatherproof scaffolding as she undergoes the largest restoration effort since she was saved from the wrecking ball in 1970. Lucy’s entire metal skin surface is going to be replaced with all new metal. More than 50% of her skin has deteriorated beyond repair. After careful analysis by Lucy’s restoration architect, Margaret Westfield of Westfield Architects and Preservation Consultants of Haddon Heights, NJ, along with metallurgist, Scott Kreilick, it has been determined that replacing her metal skin would be more cost effective than trying to remove the 50 years of paint and rust.
Despite being located just a few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean, Lucy the Elephant was never designed to withstand the harsh environment associated with seaside living; however, this amazing building has stood the test of time surviving hurricanes and lightning strikes, amongst numerous other disasters. As part of their ongoing challenge to preserve Lucy the Elephant, one of the biggest threats faced by the Save Lucy Committee is water. Being a wooden structure covered in sheets of tin metal, the only line of protection against rust is a thin layer of paint that has been applied every 4-5 years since 1970.
Unfortunately, this paint layer has been ineffective in preventing rust from continuing to form on the metal — so much so, that areas of the metal have rusted completely through, leaving holes that expose the wooden framing underneath to water that is infiltrating the structure.
In response, the Save Lucy Committee is following expert recommendations to remove all of the existing paint layers on the structure down to the bare metal, and then make any necessary repairs to the metal and seams before applying a new high-tech coating system in hopes of resolving this issue.
The type of metal used to cover Lucy the Elephant is no longer produced, so a new metal must be chosen that will be able to withstand the harsh seaside environment where Lucy resides while respecting Lucy’s historic fabric — tin. Of the options presented to the Committee by its metallurgist, one metal alloy stood out ahead of the rest due to its excellent corrosion resistance in marine applications, its malleability, and its strength. Monel 400, a nickel-copper alloy, will be used to cover Lucy and hopefully allow the historic structure to survive another 140 years and beyond.
The target date to re-open Lucy is Memorial Day weekend of 2022. Lucy’s Gift Shop will remain OPEN during this project with access through the historic train station door on Atlantic Avenue.
