Located in Southern New Jersey is a town called Cape May. Locally, this town is a well-known summer hot spot, featuring clean and picturesque beaches against a peaceful backdrop of residential homes. Perhaps equally beautiful to the natural landscape of this region are the Victorian houses that line its surrounding streets.

According to local tales, this town dealt with an enormous fire in the late 1800s, wiping out many of the buildings and utterly destroying the area. Out of this tragedy would lie the very reason for Cape May’s present day beauty. All at once, the townspeople began rebuilding, with new homes and businesses returning to the neighborhood in the ornate architectural style of the time.

Today, Cape May is an American historical gem. Its streets are lined with one breathtaking home after another. All at once, the town presents itself as a Victorian storybook. Each home is painted in its own unique color, accentuating the decor and trim of that particular space. The resulting effect is street after street of kaleidoscopic beauty.

Historical context is important to the people of Cape May. Today, great efforts are continually made to preserve the integrity and classic style of the town. There is an admirable unified front by the local people to make sure that rules are follow and styles are maintained. Buildings are preserved as landmarks in many cases and a shared love is held by the community at large. It is this appreciation that has placed Cape May high atop any list of great American sights.

Over the span of several days, I took it upon myself to photograph many of Cape May’s gorgeous buildings. A few of my resulting shots are presented here.