Doo Wop

Doo Wop Experience taking shape in Wildwood

By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2007

WILDWOOD — The grand opening of the city's Doo Wop Experience museum is set for this weekend, but visitors won't get the full experience for some time.

The building itself, housed within the steel structure of the former Surfside Restaurant, is in the final stages of its construction, and Monday workers busily poured concrete to complete the sidewalks, finish the flooring installation and other last-minute jobs.

During a visit to the museum Monday, Frank Nave, museum-exhibit designer, said it will still be many months before the high-tech interactive exhibits planned for the museum are online.
But if Nave's enthusiasm for those exhibits is any indication, they will be worth the wait.

“This is not going to be artifact intensive,” Nave said, explaining there will be no shelves stacked with memorabilia at this museum.

“How do you get young people or international people passionate about (doo-wop)? The idea is to make it interactive and constantly changing,” he said.

Artist's renderings of the museum's interior feature several different exhibits designed to be a world apart from standard museum fare.

Among them is an interactive I-Wall that will deliver doo-wop details via a 42-inch plasma screen that visitors can control.

Doo wop fans will also be able to stroll along a giant map of the Wildwoods that will feature music and information about various doo-wop motels.

He likened the technology to the giant piano keyboard actor Tom Hanks played in the movie “Big.”

Visitors will also be able to harness the hidden designer in them at a display that will allow anyone to design his or her own doo-wop motel.

“They can choose the railings or how many palm trees. You've got to have the palm trees,” Nave said.

Nave said other plans include an exhibit of photographs that can be manipulated on three screens by a control device.

Within each photograph will be more photographs offering different glimpses of period cars, hotels, people and places.

For the more traditional visitors, there will be a couple of less high-tech exhibits including a decorative array of period chairs and a column covered in period lamps.
There is also room within the approximately 3,000-square-foot space to have changing exhibits.
One month a hot rod could be on display, the next, a typical 1950s kitchen, Nave said.
“This was really one hell of a place. It was like Vegas east, and we want to find ways to bring that forward,” Nave said.

At Saturday's grand opening, some of the renderings along with a few vintage pieces and signs will be on display, and Jack Morey, of the Doo Wop Preservation League, said temporary exhibits will also be added until the interactive pieces are ready.

A fundraising effort is also planned to support the exhibits, he said.

And when it's done, Nave said visitors will have a reason to keep coming back because the museum will constantly change its offerings.

“This is going to be pretty unique,” Nave said, “You'll never be able to see it all.”

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press: TGilfillian@pressofac.com