John Whaley
developer · active 1969–1973
Developer whose Caliban Corporation built the High Point at 112th Street beginning in fall 1969 — Ocean City's first high-rise condominium and, at 11 stories, its tallest building on completion. Described in local histories as the visionary who touched off the Gold Coast condo boom between 94th and 118th streets; the neighboring High Point North followed in 1972.
In the record (2)
1971
The High Point opens at 112th Street — Ocean City's first high-rise condominium, dethroning the George Washington Hotel as tallest building in town.
Construction began in the fall of 1969, when residents could drive to 112th Street and watch developer John Whaley's Caliban Corporation raise a uniquely designed 11-story tower on the beachfront. Known as the High Point (renamed High Point South after its twin, High Point North, opened in 1972), it replaced the George Washington Hotel as Ocean City's tallest building. Within a few years 17 other high-rise structures would go up between 94th and 118th streets, and the stretch became known as the Gold Coast. Secondary sources place first occupancy in 1971. At the time the town's height limit was about 40 feet, so early towers needed case-by-case exemptions — a restriction soon eliminated as the boom accelerated.
Every tower on Condo Row descends from this one building. In 1971 Ocean City stopped being a hotel town that happened to have apartments and started being a condo town that happened to have hotels.
Source · checked 2026-08-05
1971
A brand-new oceanfront condo at the High Point listed for $23,500 to $46,500.
Reported original prices at Ocean City's first high-rise ranged from $23,500 for the smaller units to $46,500 at the top of the line — buying oceanfront concrete at 112th Street when the surrounding blocks were still largely empty dune. Units in the same building have sold in the $400,000-$900,000 range in the 2020s.
Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.
Source · checked 2026-08-05