Out of Season: The vanishing architecture of Wildwoods book

A new photographic tome by Mark Havens features a spotlight on the mid-century modern architecture of motels on the Jersey Shore.

(Image credit: Michael Ainscough)

By Sujata Burman

last updated 1 November 2022

in Features

Lo and behold! There is much more to the Jersey Shore than meets the eye. Away from the crowded tourist bustle, decadent kitsch atmosphere and boardwalk arcade illumination, there is, (or was) an untapped mid-century modern architectural forgotten land.

Captured over ten years, Philadelphia-based artist Mark Havens gives the motels of the New Jersey city of Wildwood a different moment in the spotlight, away from the off-highway, cheap and tacky film references that popular culture associate them with. Essentially a revolutionary architectural diary, the new tome titled Out of Season: The Vanishing Architecture of the Wildwoods historically marks a dialogue that is comparable to many mid-century modern architects.

'Miesian rectitude meets Eamesian playfulness on the Jersey Shore,' Jamer Hunt cites in an opening essay. Haven zooms in on these hidden details, the subtle repetitiveness, an inject of colour, and the simple lines and angles all surrounding these treasures.

The buildings were initially created in the 1950s and 60s in anticipation of a new highway connecting even more tourists to the area. They have since been stuck in time, pristine, but slowly deteriorating, going 'out of season' and 'vanishing' as the title suggests.

The visual narrative works as a 24-hour period from dawn till dusk, ominously representative of the existence of the motels and their demise. The lens focuses on many a detail; the patterns created from the shadows of Louisville & Atlantic's balustrades, the sleek flat roofs of Palm & Atlantic and a bold use of solid colour across many.

Havens still maintains some of the savoir faire of motels though, like the piercing neon lights that stand out. Featured towards the end, the reel of different signs, and their equally gimmicky names, 'Pyramid', 'Blue Water', and 'Fleur de Lis', marks a slightly forbidding end to the intimate celebration of these landmarks.

The Philadelphia-based artist captured the hidden details of many of the motels across a ten-year period. Pictured: *The Untitled (12th & Kennedy)*

Untitled (Louisville & Atlantic) — The buildings were initially created in the 1950s and 60s in anticipation of a new highway connecting even more tourists to the area. Pictured: *Untitled (Louisville & Atlantic*).

They have since been stuck in time, pristine, but slowly deteriorating, going 'out of season' and 'vanishing' as the title suggests. Pictured: *Untitled (Spicer & Pacific).*

The visual narrative works as a 24-hour period from dawn till dusk, ominously representative of the existence of the motels and their demise. Pictured: *Untitled (7th & Surf)*

Untitled (Palm & Atlantic) — The lens focuses on many a detail; the subtle repetitiveness, an inject of colour, and the simple lines and angles all surrounding these treasures. Pictured: *Untitled* (*Palm & Atlantic).*

'Miesian rectitude meets Eamesian playfulness on the Jersey Shore,' cites Jamer Hunt about the buildings in an opening essay. Pictured: *Untitled (Fern & Atlantic)*

Havens still maintains some of the savoir faire of motels though, like the piercing neon lights that stand out. Pictured: *Untitled (Saint Paul & Atlantic)*.

Featured towards the end, the reel of different signs, and their equally gimmicky names, 'Pyramid', 'Blue Water', and 'Fleur de Lis', marks a slightly forbidding end to the intimate celebration of these landmarks. Pictured: *Untitled (Preston & Atlantic)*

INFORMATION
Out of Season: The Vanishing Architecture of the Wildwoods by Mark Havens, £30 by Booth-Clibborn Editions. Available from 21 June from the publisher’s website

Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.

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