1930's Pavilion" postcard of a pavilion that later survived the 1944 hurricane but succumbed to the 1962 Good Friday Nor'easter.

Provided by the Margate Museum

By Chris Franklin | For NJ.com

Remember when Margate had a boardwalk? You probably don't. Most of it was wiped out in a storm in the 1940s.

Now, a group of residents are beginning to make a push for the city to rebuild the structure in the Atlantic County beach town — so much so that a rally is planned Sunday evening to bring awareness and collect enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot as a referendum this fall.

Glenn Klotz is the chairman of Friends of the Margate Boardwalk, the group that is making the push for the structure’s return. Klotz said the initial idea of the boardwalk came from a conversation he had with a friend in March.

“I had written a small article for a local online newspaper giving reasons why Margate should build a boardwalk,” Klotz said. “Over the next few weeks, it turned into a media sensation. At that point, it was just me. It then died down but I didn’t let it go.”

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Pictured from left to right (Glenn Klotz, Stefanie Bloch, Ellen Lichtenstein, Charlene Polakoff and Steve Davidson)

Provided by Friends of the Margate Boardwalk

Friends of Margate Boardwalk

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Provided by New Jersey State Library

The proposed boardwalk's appearance

What they're envisioning, however, isn't something that resembles the boardwalks in Atlantic City and Wildwood. Klotz says if it does come to fruition, the boardwalk would resemble the one in neighboring Ventnor, which is wider and non-commercial.

The group foresees the boardwalk being placed in the "dead area" of space created by the 2017 dune project ordered by the state and completed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The boardwalk would not only hide the pipes and drainage equipment, it would have pavilions and rest areas, Klotz said. The group also says it will provide easier access to the beach and be a safer alternative for joggers and bicyclists to use instead of nearby Atlantic Avenue.

“We do not want anyone out there to think we want a commercial boardwalk,” Klotz said. “We are not advocating that there are any businesses on this boardwalk in any way. Atlantic City will always be the commercial end, but Ventnor and the end of Atlantic City act as residential buffers and Margate will be completely residential. Margate never had a commercial boardwalk, and there is no sentiment for one.”

The group knows it is a big task to take up such a monumental infrastructure project. They hope the project is financed through a combination of grants, donations and city funds that would be bonded over a long term.

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There will be a rally

The committee will hold a rally on Sunday in front of Lucy the Elephant as a way kick off their petition drive.

“We ultimately would like to put it up for a referendum, and we also would want the city to do a survey of all the taxpayers because, in Margate, like many of the coastal communities, most of the people that are in the town don’t live in it all year round and they don’t vote here, but they still pay taxes,” Klotz said. “We are all taxpayers, and we are sensitive to that and don’t want to give something that people do not want. We want the local people, both the taxpayers and registered voters, to want this because if they don’t want it, it shouldn’t happen.”

NJ Advance Media reached out to the city of Margate to see if they would like to comment about the rally or the boardwalk idea, but our requests for comment were not answered.

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Lucy the Elephant in the background of the old Margate Boardwalk

Provided by the Margate Museum

Lucy is on board

When the boardwalk was still standing, it passed by Margate icon Lucy the Elephant. Lucy the Elephant Executive Director and CEO Richard Helfant says there is no downside for the boardwalk to return.

“I grew up in Margate and lived here all my life,” Helfant said. “The boardwalk should have been rebuilt in 1944 in my opinion. It should have always been here. When this organization formed itself and decided to be proactive in rebuilding the boardwalk, it was natural for Lucy to be involved because Lucy wants her boardwalk back. It’s taken her 137 years to say something, and she finally has. She said 'rebuild my boardwalk.'”

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Provided by Margate Museum

Helfant said while it would be an economic boost for Lucy by creating another method for people to get to Lucy, he agrees with the safety and aesthetic benefits, along with bringing back the sense of a community.

“It’s a win-win for the entire community and the island,” Helfant added. “There is no downside. There will be naysayers, but it’s a home-run idea. It would be the best thing to happen to Margate since Lucy was saved from the wrecking ball.”

As a joint fundraising attempt, the boardwalk committee and Save Lucy Committee will be selling t-shirts supporting the boardwalk campaign. They will later be sold on Lucy’s website.

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Taken in 1915, a picture of the Margate Boardwalk Looking from Coolidge Ave.

Provided by Frank Tiemann/Margate Historical Society

History of the Boardwalk

According to the Margate City Historical Society and Margate Public Library, the boardwalk was built in 1906 when Margate was known as South Atlantic City. Constructed closer to the ocean, it stood for 38 years.

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Taken in 1936, lifeguard-led exercises take place in front of the boardwalk

Provided by the Margate Museum

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Provided by New Jersey State Library

Storms destroy the boardwalk

In September 1944, when The Great Atlantic Hurricane destroyed most of the boardwalk, the city decided not to rebuild it and leave the beach the way it was. The remaining parts stood until 1962 when the Ash Wednesday Storm, a powerful nor’easter, came and damaged the final pieces.

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Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

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