Congress Hall is a historic hotel in Cape May , Cape May County, New Jersey , United States, occupying a city block bordered on the south by Beach Avenue and on the east by Washington Street Mall. It is a contributing building in the Cape May National Historic District .
7-554: Congress Hall was first constructed in 1816 as a wooden boarding house for guests to the new seaside resort of Cape May; and the proprietor, Thomas H. Hughes , called it "The Big House." Locals, thinking it too big to be successful, called it "Tommy's Folly." In 1828, when Hughes was elected to the House of Representatives, he changed the name of the hotel to Congress Hall. It burned to the ground in Cape May's Great Fire of 1878, but within
14-519: A period in which many Victorian-era beachfront hotels were demolished for the value of their land. With the decline of the Bible Conference, Congress Hall fell into a state of disrepair, with the hotel closing in 1992, though retail space in the building remained in use. The property was partially restored under the guidance of Curtis Bashaw , McIntire's grandson, a $ 22 million restoration began in 1995 and completed in 2002. Congress Hall
21-656: A year, its owners had rebuilt the hotel in brick in an effort to convince leery prospective guests that the building was fireproof. While serving as President of the United States, Franklin Pierce , James Buchanan , Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison vacationed at Congress Hall, and Harrison made Congress Hall his official Summer White House , becoming the center of state business for several months each year. John Philip Sousa regularly visited Congress Hall with
28-558: Is a resort hotel and part of the Cape Resorts family of hotels. Bashaw supplies the hotel and many of its restaurants with pork, eggs and vegetables from his 73-acre (30 ha) Beach Plum Farm in West Cape May, New Jersey . 38°55′53″N 74°55′27″W / 38.9314°N 74.9243°W / 38.9314; -74.9243 Thomas H. Hughes Thomas Hurst Hughes (January 10, 1769 – November 10, 1839)
35-541: The United States Marine Band and composed the "Congress Hall March", which he conducted on its lawn in the summer of 1882. During the 20th century, the Cape May seafront deteriorated, with tourists heading to other shore resorts. In 1968, Congress Hall was purchased by the Rev. Carl McIntire and became part of his Cape May Bible Conference. McIntire's possession of the property preserved the hotel during
42-732: Was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1805 to 1807, in 1809, 1812, and 1813; and a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council (now the New Jersey Senate ) from 1819 to 1823 and in 1824 and 1825. He was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian candidate to the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1829 to March 3, 1833. As he was not a candidate for renomination in 1832. He resumed
49-561: Was an 18th- and 19th-century American businessman and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey from 1829 to 1833. Born in the Cold Spring section of Lower Township, New Jersey, on January 10, 1769, Hughes attended the public schools. He moved to Cape May City in 1800 and engaged in the mercantile business. In 1816 he built Congress Hall in Cape May, which he managed for many years. He also served as sheriff of Cape May County from 1801 to 1804. Hughes
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