Wildwood is getting another doo-wop Wawa
Wildwood officials asked Wawa to include elements of the iconic architecture in the new store, which will replace a Rite Aid.
Wawa is going retro in Wildwood.
The company plans to build a new store in the Shore town designed to celebrate its doo-wop architectural heritage from the 1950s and ’60s.
Wildwood officials had asked Wawa to incorporate doo-wop elements into the store’s design, according to the Cape May County Herald. The store will include a neon-style sign and a retro color scheme.
The new Wawa will replace the Rite Aid at 3400 New Jersey Ave. and will include gas pumps in a section of town that doesn’t currently have any, according to the Cape May County Herald. A Wawa that doesn’t sell gas at 3200 New Jersey Ave. will close when the new store opens at an unknown time, according to the newspaper.
The store will be a nod to Wildwood’s midcentury past as a capital of doo-wop architecture, which features neon, bold angles, and bright colors, and sometimes includes references to exotic places or outer space.
The city’s Doo Wop Preservation League gives guided tours of Wildwood’s remaining examples of doo-wop architecture and newer buildings meant to look the part.
An example of the latter is another Wawa at 418 W. Rio Grande Ave. that features slanted roofs and a doo-wop-style neon sign.