May 26, 2025
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The people in charge of Lucy the Elephant hope to start interior renovations, including HVAC upgrades and plaster wall repairs, in 2026. But they need to find $500,000 in funding first.
Lucy the Elephant had big plans on the horizon.
The Margate roadside attraction, the oldest in the United States, was due for some internal work. Her stewards planned to replace the structure's aging HVAC and fire suppression systems, refinish the floors, repaint the woodwork and repair her water-damaged plaster walls — just as soon as they'd made headway on a new gift shop, where Lucy's new heating and cooling equipment would be housed. They had the $800,000 they needed to make it happen, thanks to a $300,000 state grant and another $500,000 in federal appropriations.
Then DOGE intervened.
In April, the Department of Government Efficiency abruptly rescinded the $500,000 in Senate discretionary funds earmarked for Lucy the Elephant since last year. The decision left the landmark with a massive deficit, and no easy way to make it up.
"How do you have a contract, a promise from the government of the United States of America, and they default on it?" said Richard Helfant, executive director for the attraction. "That's a pretty sad statement to make, but it happened."
Lucy hasn't felt the impact of the loss yet. The interior work can't begin until the new gift shop is "two-thirds done," Helfant explained, and demolition of the old building is just beginning. Her caretakers have set up a temporary hub across the street on Atlantic and Washington avenues as they clear the site and prepare for construction, currently slated for September. Helfant expects to hit the two-thirds threshold by late spring of 2026.
That gives Lucy's supporters roughly a year to find the missing money. On the advice of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who requested the original federal funding, they reapplied for the same congressional spending consideration in 2026. But as Helfant notes, other cultural organizations who lost grants amid the Trump administration's sweeping budget cuts are likely doing the same thing, making the applicant pool even bigger.
So the boosters are getting creative. They will pursue another grant through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, according to Helfant, as well as a series of fundraisers. While the events are in the planning stages, they could include a benefit concert and Lucy's first Oktoberfest.
Fans of the famous elephant have also sent donations since news broke of the DOGE cut. Helfant estimates they've received roughly $7,000-$8,000 as of early May.
"They come in nickels and dimes, which is awesome, because that's what keeps Lucy alive," he said.
Public support has buoyed Helfant's optimism that they can close the gap. Fans have showed up for Lucy the Elephant since her 1881 debut, saving her from demolition in the 1960s and championing a $2.4 million exterior restoration project completed in 2022. She is now the only standing elephant-shaped structure built by Philadelphia real estate developer James Lafferty, who constructed three in the 19th century. And at 145, she's older than the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower.
Now, it's up to Lucy's team to make sure she stomps into another year with her best foot forward.
"Our job is to make sure that she continues and we will," Helfant said. "No matter what it takes, she's gonna continue."
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