The Oct. 4 panel, comprised of architects, preservationists, historians and a city councilman, agreed that preserving historic homes raises the property values of entire neighborhoods, but more needs to be done by the city.
A building that best exemplifies the current plight is the Van Wagenen Homestead, or Apple Tree House, according to Guy Catrillo, a Historic Preservation Commission member and advocate for the house. A two-story, eight- room Dutch Colonial mansion constructed of fieldstone and brick, it's located on 298 Academy St., south of Journal Square. Built in the 1650s, it housed the Marquis de Lafayette during the American Revolution, and George Washington may have been a guest. Most recently the house served as a funeral home.
The house, however, has fallen into disrepair since it was acquired by the city a little less than two years ago, said Catrillo. A hole recently opened in the roof, allowing rainwater from this summer to infiltrate the 350-year-old structure. The damage to the walls and floors, said Catrillo, has been massive and he blames the city for not taking action. He said he's simply asking for a tarp over the roof to prevent further leaking.
But the mayor's office said they have not been contacted about the house.
"I haven't gotten a call from Guy Catrillo," said Tom Gallagher, Bret Schundler's chief of staff, in a later interview. Schundler and preservation groups looked for ways to acquire the house when they learned that Provident Bank intended to demolish the house and turn it into a parking lot and cash machine. Using federal grants, the city acquired the property.
But Gallagher said that Catrillo is more interested in waging a media war than raising money for the house. He added that other projects like the Loew's Theater restoration in Journal Square and the new museum Downtown are eating up the city's time and money.
"Everyone knew that the city didn't have the financial resources to fix the facility," said Gallagher.
Department of Public Works Director Kevin Sluka said last week that upon hearing about the problems at the house, crews installed a temporary tarp to prevent leaking. The apple tree for which the house is nicknamed apparently was rubbing up against the house's exterior, causing the leak. The tree has now been pruned.
Not doing enough
While the other panelists spoke about the remarkable effect preservation of homes has on property values, some said the city is not doing enough to ensure that current buildings retain their historic flavor.
"I have to give the [Historic] Commission a failing grade," said former member of the city's Historic Preservation Commission Diane Kaese, a Manhattan architect and Jersey City resident who helped craft the city's historic preservation ordinance in the mid-'80s. Specific zoning helped to create four historic districts in the city: Hamilton Park, Harsimus Cove, Paulus Hook and Van Vorst Park.
Kaese said she knew of a homeowner in a historic district who replaced his old wooden windows with aluminum. Further education and enforcement is needed to stop incidents like this, she said.
Kaese also called for the appointment of a new Historic Preservation officer, citing the current head's lack of expertise. The interim officer of the city's planning department, Claire Davis, was in attendance at the conference. She admitted her shortcomings as head of the commission.
"As someone who is not qualified to be in this position, we will take no offense to hiring someone," she said. Kaese's involvement with creating the historic preservation ordinance proved to be a flashpoint for long-time residents who worried that new historic ordinances would increase the attraction of the city and thus accelerate gentrification, similar to what had happened in Hoboken. Gentrification is the process whereby new groups of economically well-off people move in and displace current residents.
Gentrification has happened in the Downtown and Hamilton Park areas, as high-income residents have found the stately brownstones of Jersey City attractive nesting spots.
Forgotten areas
Councilman Mariano Vega noted at the conference that hundreds of sites around the city could be eligible for historic status. Lafayette, a section of downtown directly west of Liberty State Park, was built originally to cater to the 1800s wealthy. For years, however, it has been considered a forgotten nook to the city's other sections. But it is ripe with historic homes.
"It was envisioned as an upper middle-class residential suburb with an easy commute for Downtown Jersey City and New York," said NJCU librarian Patrick Shalhoub. That vision, however, never came to fruition. Today, though, many of the 19th century townhouses and family homes blend in with new apartments and storefronts.
A "gingerbread-type" house on Whiton and Maple streets sports a medieval feel, with sharp-angled roofs and gables and Gothic details. At Van Horne Street and Communipaw Avenue stands an Italianate villa house. And a mix of late 1850s-style homes dots Communipaw Avenue as you approach the new light rail tracks.
Rising values
Gerry Bakirtjy, a developer and architect, took a bottom line approach to the historic homes in Jersey City. "One whack with a two-by-four can cost you several thousand dollars, in an historic home," he said. Bakirtjy, noting the recent interest in old homes, said that a long-closed brownstone quarry has now been reopened.
But the great phenomenon, he said, is that people are willing to pay for homes that have historic significance. Compared with the amenities that new high-rises in Newport and around Paulus Hook offer, old homes should be an also-ran. But a long-abandoned 90-year-old townhouse was recently renovated and raised a block's value by 10 to 20 percent, said Bakirtjy.
Federal money and tax incentives are also available for those interested in fixing up old homes, he said. But it's not all dollars and cents that motivate the desire to preserve homes, said NJCU's Lewis. "I think if we're going to improve life in Hudson County, it helps to remember the past," he said.
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