Editing Wildwood, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Wildwood was originally incorporated as a [[borough (New Jersey)|borough]] by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on May 1, 1895, from portions of [[Middle Township, New Jersey|Middle Township]], based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. On January 1, 1912, Wildwood was incorporated as a city, replacing both Wildwood borough and [[Holly Beach City, New Jersey|Holly Beach City]].<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 68. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref>

The Wildwoods began developing as a resort in the last decade of the 19th century. A building boom began in the 1950s, due partially to the construction and completion of the [[Garden State Parkway]] in 1955.<ref>Lange, Linda via [[Scripps Howard News Service]]. [http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=108529 "Wildwoods preserve family fun of the 1950s"], ''[[Reading Eagle]]'', October 5, 2008. Accessed July 2, 2012. "This barrier beach south of Atlantic City was once an enclave for wealthy Victorian holiday-makers who stayed in traditional hotels. It evolved into a haven for everyone in the postwar years, particularly after the southern portion of the Garden State Parkway opened in 1955."</ref><ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/hpb_summer2006.pdf "Neon and Angles: Motels of the Wildwoods"], ''Historic Preservation Bulletin'', [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Historic Preservation Office, Summer 2006. Accessed July 2, 2012.</ref>

"[[Rock Around the Clock]]", often credited as the [[first rock and roll record]], was first performed on Memorial Day weekend in 1954 at the HofBrau Hotel in Wildwood by [[Bill Haley & His Comets]]. The song's status as one of the first rock and roll hits has given rise to the city's claim as "the birthplace of rock and roll".<ref>[http://www.gwcoc.com/fifties/birthplace.html The Birthplace of Rock and Roll: Wildwood, New Jersey, Stakes Its Claim], accessed November 16, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023191643/http://www.gwcoc.com/fifties/birthplace.html |date=October 23, 2006 }}</ref><ref>Strauss, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/nyregion/10rock.html "Cradle of Rock? Two Towns Stake Their Claims"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 10, 2007. Accessed July 10, 2007. "It was Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend in 1954, and more than 500 people were jammed into the HofBrau Hotel here to hear his band, the Comets, kick off the summer. 'We had just recorded this song in April,' he said, 'and that night we introduced it to the crowd. I guess that was the first real night of rock 'n' roll.' The song was 'Rock Around the Clock,' by Bill Haley and His Comets, considered by many to be the first rock-'n'-roll hit, and the first song with the word 'rock' in the title to hit the top of the Billboard charts."</ref> [[Chubby Checker]] introduced his version of "[[The Twist (song)|The Twist]]" at the Rainbow Club in Wildwood.<ref>[https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/wildwood-chubby-checker-mural/2113476/ "Jersey Shore Town Where 'The Twist' Began Dedicates Mural to Chubby Checker"], [[MBC10]], September 8, 2015. Accessed May 14, 2022. "Music legend Chubby Checker was on hand for the unveiling of a 12-by-40-foot mural in Wildwood paying homage to "The Twist" singer, who first performed his iconic dance at a local club."</ref> On occasion, [[American Bandstand]] broadcast from the Wildwood's Starlight Ballroom. Murals in the community honor Checker, Bill Haley; and [[Bobby Rydell]]. Rydell's major hit, "[[Wildwood Days]]" in 1963, is about Wildwood.<ref>[https://www.visitnj.org/article/wildwood-birthplace-rock-n-roll Wildwood: The Birthplace of Rock 'n Roll?], Visit New Jersey. Accessed May 14, 2022. ""</ref>

===Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District===
{{main|Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District}}
[[File:Caribbean Motel NJ.JPG|thumb|The [[Caribbean Motel]] at 5600 Ocean Avenue]]
Wildwood is home to over 200 motels, built during the [[Googie architecture|Doo-Wop]] era of the 1950s and 1960s,<ref name="Washington Post">Staff. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062200682.html "The '50s and '60s Thrive In Retro Doo-Wop Motels"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', June 24, 2007. Accessed June 27, 2017.</ref> in an area recognized by the state of New Jersey, known as the ''Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District.''<ref name="league">{{Cite web |url=http://www.doowopusa.org/district/index.html |title=Doo Wop Preservation League Web site |access-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202082715/http://doowopusa.org/district/index.html |archive-date=February 2, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The term "doo-wop" was coined by [[Cape May, New Jersey|Cape May]]'s Mid-Atlantic Center For The Arts in the early 1990s to describe the unique, space-age architectural style, which is also referred to as the [[Googie architecture|Googie]] or [[populuxe]] style.<ref name="Crest History Society">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cresthistory.org/doowop.php |title=Wildwood Crest Historical Society Web site |access-date=December 11, 2008 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809120212/https://cresthistory.org/doowop.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The motels are unique in appearance, with [[Las Vegas Valley|Vegas]]-like neon signs and [[fantastic architecture]].<ref>Fancher, Emily. [http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/cns/2002-06-10/34.asp "Doo Wop" architecture lures tourists back to seaside town] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702021214/http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/cns/2002-06-10/34.asp |date=July 2, 2007 }}, Columbia News Service, June 10, 2002. Accessed June 17, 2007. "Just about everything in Wildwood, N.J. has been touched by 'Doo Wop'. The term describes the distinctively kitschy flair of the town's 200 motels, which were built in the 1950s and '60s. Reflecting the popular cultural themes of the era, the motels have Hawaiian and Polynesian designs, Space Age accents or rock 'n' roll details."</ref> New construction in the area has seen the demolition of several motels to make room for larger condominiums. The Wildwood Doo Wop Preservation League has taken action to help save and restore these historic buildings. The [[Caribbean Motel]] in Wildwood Crest, and the [[Chateau Bleu Motel]] in North Wildwood are both listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Cape%20May.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Cape May], [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Historic Preservation Office, updated September 18, 2019. Accessed October 28, 2019.</ref>

A 1950s Doo Wop museum includes property from demolished motels such as neon signs and furniture.<ref>Nitkin, Karen. [https://www.baltimoresun.com/2011/05/12/wild-at-heart-in-the-wildwoods/ "Wild at heart in The Wildwoods: Music lovers and thrill seekers will feel right at home in The Wildwoods of New Jersey"], ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'', May 12, 2011. Accessed September 4, 2011. "Visit the Doo-Wop Experience Museum Opened in 2007, the museum has a bandshell for outdoor concerts and houses a collection of doo-wop era signs and memorabilia. There's no admission fee."</ref> Neo-Doo Wop buildings in the area feature a neon lit [[Wawa (company)|Wawa]] and a 1950s styled [[Acme Markets|Acme Supermarket]].<ref>Gilfillian, Trudi. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/doo-wop-comes-back-to-the-wildwoods/article_586cd20b-00ee-59e3-a408-790bd5e3a799.html " Doo-wop comes back to the Wildwoods; Annual celebration of the decade begins today"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', October 17, 2013. Accessed February 25, 2014. "Businesses like Wawa and Acme have built stores locally using the doo-wop style, but she pointed to the hundreds of condominiums built in the 2000s that have little to do with the island's history."</ref>