What was once a luxury hotel in the late 1800s and a summer retreat for Philadelphia nuns is now the Cape May Point Science Center.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia used the building as their summer home until 2019, and the pandemic led them to announce their decision to demolish the building. In 2021 the Mullock family of Cape May Point proposed to the Sisters the idea of repurposing the building.
“The mission of the CMPSC [Cape May Point Science Center] is of environmental advocacy, education and research aligned with the values of the Sisters, who have a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, and so the sale of the building was negotiated, and the Science Center was founded in March 2022,” said Rae Griffiths, the Director of Education at the Science Center. “It opened to the public for its first season in June 2023, and we have just completed our second season.”
The center works to teach the community about both the sciences and the arts. In 2023, it hosted a bronze statue of Harriet Tubman created by Wesley Wofford and had a celebratory event, which connected the community to their history of the Underground Railroad.
Additionally, it has hosted over 5,000 visitors since its opening in 2023. The center has also launched various projects to teach the community about the ecological significance of Cape May Point.
“We launched Project Monarch, and have attached over 150 solar-powered transmitters to monarch butterflies, which people can track using a bluetooth app on their smartphones, to help scientists better understand the complex migration of these declining insects,” Griffiths said.
“We have also forged significant collaborations with other organizations to further initiatives in both the sciences and the arts including hosting a Marine Science Symposium in May 2024…and a multi-day retreat with the Native Plant Society of New Jersey that allowed us to highlight our spectacular pollinator garden, which is a major attraction at the Science Center, but is also providing critical habitat for wildlife,” she said.
The building is 135 years old and 38,000 square feet, which poses many challenges in terms of upkeep. To make the building more comfortable for visitors, Griffiths explained that the organization has added supplemental heating, cooling, and infrastructure improvements.
In addition to its environmental efforts, the center provides a space for community activities in the area, such as the Cape May Point Civic Club and the Cape May Food Closet. The center also works in collaboration with Rutgers University and Columbia University.
“In partnership with Rutgers University, we provide a site for an antenna that collects data for several research projects,” Griffiths said. “Most recently, because of our proximity to the ocean and the Delaware Bay, we have become a Station Keeper for MotionInfo that is working to monitor boat traffic in the critical areas for North Atlantic Right Whale migration and alert mariners when they are traveling above recommended speeds in the seasonal management area (SMA).
“We are also collaborating with students in the Sustainability program at Columbia University regarding the proposed desalination plant in Cape May to implement best practices for the success of that endeavor,” she added.
The Mullock family members and their associates are keeping the history of this building alive while contributing to the environmental community of Cape May.
