As part of our ongoing efforts to digitally preserve historic monuments and sites, and our continuing commitment to give back to society, DJS is proud to announce that we have completed documentation of another historic icon, Lucy the Elephant! In November of 2017, DJS technicians spent a day laser scanning, flying drones, and capturing panoramic photography in and around Lucy, a six-story elephant-shaped example of novelty architecture, constructed of wood and tin sheeting in 1881 by James V. Lafferty in Margate City, New Jersey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_the_Elephant).
A truly unique building, and a National Historic Landmark, Lucy has seen her fair share and trials and tribulations over the years, including a fire in 1904 which almost completely destroyed the building. Fortunately for everyone, Lucy was restored and continues to be a great place for people to visit while in Margate City. In addition to allowing those who cannot physically climb the stairs into the “body” of Lucy an opportunity to glimpse the interior, measurement data collected by DJS will serve as a digital record of site conditions, to be utilized in ongoing maintenance, or should any tragedy ever befall the legendary pachyderm.
Have a look at the data we collected in the video below!
*Permission to share this video was granted by the Save Lucy Committee, Inc, as Lucy the Elephant is legally protected as intellectual property.