established in 1870
The Juliette was built shortly after the Civil War as part of a property boom in the area for Oliver Smith Sr., a successful dry good merchant from Philadelphia who later sold to Lena G Holman, widow of Philadelphia publisher William A Holman. The family publishing company dated back to 1738 when founder Christopher Sauer published the first bible on American soil, Andrew Jackson Holman purchased the company a century later and after nearly three centuries they remain in the original bible publishing business. We were honored to become the most recent caretakers of the house in January of 2020, taking over from the Asterino’s who spent the last three decades running the property as the Majestic Star Bed & Breakfast and who did a magnificent job updating the house while preserving the historical charm.
You will notice several other similar style houses along Columbia Ave (709, 719, 725) also built in the Carpernter Gothic Revival style by the same post civil war developer using stylistic elements that are modeled after the great medieval churches of Europe but aided by the recent arrival of the steam powered saw to make the ornamental wood detail commonly known as Gingerbread Trim. This was a sharp departure from classical architecture at the time which drew inspiration from Rome and Greece. Cape May has a reputation as a victorian town but as you walk around the historical district you will see quite this encompasses a wide range of styles the reflected the changing taste of the 19th century.
For amateur architectural enthusiasts check out Cape May’s Historical Preservation Commission’s document, with a brief history of the town and different house styles starting on page 8.
For more information on how Cape May’s historical district was saved from developers and tours available during your stay click here.
We look forward to your stay!