TheseimageswerealltakenintheWildwoods,two adjacentholidayresortsinNewJerseyontheEastern seaboardoftheUSA.
Theyhaveahistorythatstretchesbacktothelate19th centurywhentwobrotherssawthepotentialinthearea’s naturalbeauty.The1950ssawabuildingboom,fueled partlybyageneralriseinconfidenceandprosperityafter WorldWar2.
ThiseraisalsoassociatedwiththeriseofDoo-Wopmusic, withWildwoodbecomingapopulardestination.BillHaley’s “RockaroundtheClock”wasfirstperformedinWildwood aswasChubbyChecker’s“TheTwist”.Inlateryearsmany wellknownstarsperformedincludingtheSupremes,Four TopsandFourSeasons.
The"Doo-Wop"termalsoreferstoaspecificarchitectural style.Thesebuildingsareknownfortheirfuturistic,spaceageaesthetic,withboldcolours,neonsigns,geometric shapes,andwave-likepatterns.Thisstylethrivedin Wildwoodduringthisperiod,withmanymotelsand businessesreflectingthisdesign.
WithanactiveHistoricalAssociation,muchhasbeendone topreservethefeelingofthe1950sand1960s.Manyofthe motelsandsignsarejustastheywouldhavebeenwhen theywerebuilt.Thephotoshavethereforebeenprocessed toemphasisethevibrantcoloursofthetimeandgivinga senseofnostalgia.
