John B. McCreary House

	John B. McCreary House
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	The Abbey in 2018
Location	34 Gurney Street; Cape May, New Jersey
Coordinates	38°55′55″N 74°55′10″W / 38.93194°N 74.91944°W
Built	1869–1870
Architect	Stephen Decatur Button
Part of	Cape May Historic District (ID70000383)

The John B. McCreary House, also formerly known as the Christian Science Society and most recently The Abbey, is an historic Victorian building located at 34 Gurney Street, corner of Columbia Street, in Cape May, New Jersey. Designed by Philadelphia architect Stephen Decatur Button, it was built for $20,000 between 1869 and 1870 for State Senator John B. McCreary, a Pennsylvania coal baron.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

It is a contributing property in the Cape May Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

From 1979 to 2012, the structure was operated as The Abbey Bed and Breakfast Inn.^[5] The owners extensively restored the building while adding bathrooms for each suite.^[6]

The historic property was listed for sale in 2006 and was sold in 2012. The building is now operated as a whole house rental instead of as a B&B.

Gallery[edit]

HABS photo from 1977
Photo from 2011

References[edit]

^ Salvini, Emil R. (1995). The Summer City by the Sea: Cape May, New Jersey: An Illustrated History. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 41. ISBN 9780813522616.
^ Tischler, Susan (February 2007). "The Excursionists: A Ticket to Success". CapeMay.com.
^ Landmark Society: tours - Cape May, NJ - May 2009 Archived January 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Wallace, J. (August 21, 2009). "John B. McCreary House (The Abbey), Cape May NJ". 3D Warehouse. Trimble Navigation, Ltd.
^ Shatz, Jay and Marianne. "The Abbey Bed & Breakfast Inn". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011.
^ Bernstein, Lisa (February 1, 2002). "The Abbey: Gurney Street and Columbia Avenue". CapeMay.com.

External links[edit]

Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NJ-855, "John B. McCreary House, 34 Gurney Street, Cape May, Cape May County, NJ", 1 photo, 1 color transparency, 5 measured drawings, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages

[1] Salvini, Emil R. (1995). The Summer City by the Sea: Cape May, New Jersey: An Illustrated History. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 41. ISBN 9780813522616.

[2] Tischler, Susan (February 2007). "The Excursionists: A Ticket to Success". CapeMay.com.

[3] Landmark Society: tours - Cape May, NJ - May 2009 Archived January 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[4] Wallace, J. (August 21, 2009). "John B. McCreary House (The Abbey), Cape May NJ". 3D Warehouse. Trimble Navigation, Ltd.

[5] Shatz, Jay and Marianne. "The Abbey Bed & Breakfast Inn". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011.

[6] Bernstein, Lisa (February 1, 2002). "The Abbey: Gurney Street and Columbia Avenue". CapeMay.com.

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v t e Cape May, New Jersey
Landmarks	United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Cape May Historic District The Chalfonte Hotel Carroll Villa John B. McCreary House Congress Hall Episcopal Church of the Advent / St. John's Chapel Emlen Physick Estate
Transportation	Cape May City Rail Terminal Washington Street
Education	Cape May City School District Lower Cape May Regional School District
Media	Cape May Times WCFA-LP
Culture	Cape May Stage Harriet Tubman Museum On the Way to Cape May
This list is incomplete. Cape May Lighthouse and Cape May Airport are in Lower Township Cape May diamonds are found at Cape May Point. Cape May Bird Observatory has facilities in Cape May Point and Middle Township. Currently the Cape May Warbler birds live outside of Cape May. Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Cape May merged into what became Wildwood Catholic Academy.