The Beach Theatre

4/15/11
Jane E. McNutt
6 Geneva Ave.
Del Haven, NJ 08251
A plea to the Cape May City Council members,
I am once again writing regarding The Beach Theatre. It is hard to
believe that 4 years have passed since I wrote my first letter to a different
Council and Mayor, but I had to give it a second shot.
My Great Uncle was WC Hunt. I work as a Lighthouse Keeper at Cape May Light
and am increasingly alarmed at having less history to promote to climbers as our
past continues to disappear.
Cape May Light is a prime example of not only preserving our past, but also
preserving jobs. In this economy or any economy, that is all important.
I would be remiss if I did not thank The United States Coast Guard for
maintaining the lighthouse as an Aid to Navigation here too.
The 61 year old Beach Theatre is certainly historical. I was born in 1952,
and everything about my early life is in museums now!
The Beach Theatre should have a chance to show what it can do for the
community.
My Great Uncle Will built The Beach Theatre with the community in mind. He
displayed local art, commissioned murals to be done for public viewing,
and even had a TV room. He was one of the founders of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry
which brought the people here, and a founder of Burdette-Tomlin Hospital
which took care of the people when they got here. He covered all bases.
In Wildwood he had the amusement piers and the ballrooms. When it
rained, everybody ran to his theatres. Sure, it all made a great profit but, he
was a businessman too. Again, he covered all bases.
I see no bases covered in Cape May. I just see more aluminum-sided
buildings going up day after day. When I saw the plans for the condos the
Franks want to put up, it looked like a sprawling, take up the block and put
spirals on each end to make it look Victorian thing.
This is an opportunity to put this right. The Beach is a great location for
a theatre to remain a theatre and a gathering place for residents and our
important tourists.
I am making this plea, not only for my mom’s side of the family (she was the
daughter of Harry Hunt, WC’s brother) but, for my dad’s side. He was John
McNutt, born in Wildwood and son of John J. McNutt. Together, my father and his
father wired most of Wildwood and some of Cape May back in The Day. Mom and
Dad both loved Cape May.
If it does come down to incorporating The Beach Theatre into a building, make
it one with class…something that will follow the original curve of the theatre.
If that doesn’t happen, I would rather see The Beach Theatre washed out to
sea. I even feel this way about lighthouses. Rather than be neglected, let them
have an end with some dignity.
Buildings do nothing to deserve neglect. They stand as a remembrance
of our past, just waiting to be honored. Please honor The Beach Theatre, and it
will give you great return.
Respectfully,
Jane E. McNutt