MARGATE - After 14 months under wraps, Lucy the Elephant, the city's beloved pachyderm, will be getting an elephant sized shower 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 21.
Lucy plans to shed her plastic wrapped scaffolding to reveal the results of her $2 million makeover, but before contractors leave the site, the Margate City Fire Department will spray her with water to make sure her new metal skin is waterproof.
The shower will ensure there are no leaks and that she will be around for years to delight visitors who climb the stairs inside her leg to reach the fully furnished room inside her body and climb atop her howdah for a 360-degree view Absecon Island and the Atlantic Ocean.
The public is invited to view the shower, but Save Lucy Committee Executive Director Richard Helfant recommends they wear a raincoat.
General Contractor Merrell Garaguso, Westfield Architects and Preservation Consultants and members of the Save Lucy Committee will be there to witness the feat.
Before getting a new paint job, Lucy's windows, doors and howdah along with her metal coating were removed, sections of her deteriorated cedar foundation repaired, and her skin replaced with a new metal product, called Monel, a nickel and copper based metal that's resistant to rust.
The project is being funded in part with historic preservation grants and contributions from the public.
The committee is planning a Grand Unveiling in mid-December to celebrate the 141-year-old iconic structure's new lease on life.
Lucy is located at Josephine Harron Park, 1 Lucy Plaza at Decatur and Atlantic avenues.
