Built in 1869 as a summer home for Philadelphia coal baron John B. Mc-Creary, the Abbey was named by current owners Jay and Marianne Schatz, who thought the Gothic Revival architecture resembled a house of worship.
Actually, the Abbey comprises two buildings. Jay and Marianne, both chemists before their love of old houses and antiques brought themto Cape May, opened the main house, the Villa, in 1979. In 1986 they renovated the adjacent 1873 Second Empire house, called the Cottage. Though each house has two parlors and bedrooms named for cities with Victorian architecture (many con-taming something from that city), the buildings have their own styles. The Villa, with its impressive 65-foot tower, is formal and dramatic, though some of its period antiques look a bit worn. The Newport Room’s tower bath makes it an unusual guest quarter. In contrast, the Cottage, its parlor furnished in wicker, feels like a summer house.
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