Preservation

Following Dr. Physick's death in 1916, the estate passed through a variety of hands and fell into a sad state of disrepair. In the 1960s, it was acquired by developers who sought to tear it down and put up tract housing on its grounds.

To avert this disaster, concerned citizens formed the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) in 1970. After forestalling the demolition, MAC wrote grants that allowed the City of Cape May, in 1973, to acquire the whole estate and lease it to MAC. Since then, MAC has untertaken an extensive restoration of the property, which is funded largely by money raised from our tours.