Washington Street is the name of a major east-west street in downtown Cape May, New Jersey. It begins at Lafayette Street (New Jersey Route 109) and (officially) ends at Ocean Street. Unofficially, there is a famous walkway, named the Washington Street Mall, between Ocean Street and Perry Street. Washington Street Mall is filled with restaurants and stores, and, beside Cape May's beaches and Victorian houses, is one of the city's most noticeable features. Washington Street is parallel with Lafayette Street for all of its length.
The City of Cape May closed Washington Street to traffic from Ocean Street to Perry Street in 1970 to allow commercial development. In December 1976, during the Christmas shopping season, the block between Jackson Street and Perry Street was consumed by fire but was quickly rebuilt.