Author Topic: Historic District  (Read 8214 times)

Offline BartGelormino

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Historic District
« on: April 07, 2004, 12:16:58 AM »
My mother told me last weekend that her home and the entire Eastside Neighborhood in Paterson has been designated a "Historic District"

Does anyone know if it would be possible to get the same designation for the Fairmount neighborhood?

My parent's house was built in 1929.  My home on Clinton is at least 100 years old.  The Fairmount neighborhood is in much better shape than Paterson's Eastside.

The designation would put an end to the tearing down of classic homes.  There are many areas of Hackensack that should be redeveloped - the Fairmount neighborhood is not one of them!  

Anyone have any ideas?  



Offline Editor

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Re:Historic District
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2004, 12:45:57 AM »
I'll look into further but, in the meantime, answer me this:

Would you consent to having your home declared "historic" if it meant that you could never sell it to a developer at top dollar?

Should people be prevented from maximizing profits on their investment?

I hate to see older homes destroyed, but I would also hate any restrictions being placed on the use of my property without adequate compensation.

Ultimately, I think the fate of the Fairmount section will rest on the values of the homeowners that live here.  Who will sell out and who will remain?

More on this as it comes to me...




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Re: Historic District
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2006, 09:49:37 AM »
Related story from Tenafly:  Residents win as block loses historic status

ericmartindale

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Re: Historic District
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2006, 06:53:02 PM »
Anything is possible.  Mobilizing people for a movement, and then getting the city to do it is another matter.  Here's a conceptual battle plan:

(1) The first step is to get a bunch of people together and start a Historic Committee, basically a private organization devoted to the stated goals. (2) The second step is to create an official city Historic Commission, just like the Shade Tree Commission, Environmental Commission, etc. (3) The third step would be to look at what properties need recognition, photodocumenting everything, and putting the information online. (4) The fourth step is incorporating those recommendations into the Master Plan, and (5) the fifth step is actually saving properties.

The owner of this website is the official city historian.  I am not sure if he eager to participate in any committee. It would be great to have the City Historian onboard but it is not necessary. That's his choice.

I was down at the Planning Board meeting last night speaking in favor of preserving the "old bank building" across The Green from the Courthouse.  The entire square block is subject to redevelopment action by the City of Hackensack.  I'm in favor of the project, but that one building has to stay. They can build around it.

Back in the 1970's, there was a push from outside forces onto Hackensack to create historic districts. However, they were picking areas that the city firmly and absolutely wanted to see torn down, such as parts of Union and Park Streets. Therefore, the city administration at that time was hostile to the attempts. City Planner Eugene Duffy, in particular, held them with total contempt. Any attempt to push historic preservation must take care not to duplicate that mistake.

I don't know if the entire Fairmount District would qualify, but in my mind Summit Ave, and the area generally from both sides of Euclid Ave to both sides of Hamilton Ave would qualify.  Scattered areas further north may also qualify, especially around Cedar Ave. Portions of Maple Hill Drive and adjacent areas of Summit could qualify as well. 

I'd like to see an ordinance passed banning "projecting" garages, so that garages must always be recessed from view.  That adds another layer of protection to historic preservation.

Bart, are you the guy that was going to buy the Coyle mansion (Anderson & Prospect) before it was torn down, or am I confusing you with someone else?

Anyone interested in being on any historic committee can post here. I would certainly be interested myself.

ericmartindale

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Re: Historic District
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2006, 12:00:30 PM »
I was browsing thru the www.hackensacknow.com "classified" and I noticed a post from 4/18/06, which is the Hackensack History Collection for sale. It contains an amazing amount of valuable artifacts, maps, documents, etc.

I am hoping that this is not the city's collection that is being sold off.

This could be the start of a museum for Hackensack.

What is the status of this valuable collection.  Who is currently holding it.  All it says now is that the collection is "not available".

Offline Editor

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Re: Historic District
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2006, 12:25:57 PM »
The collection was privately owned.  The seller was gracious enough to allow me to scan many of the images before he sold it.  Many of those images can be found here.

The sale is a private matter and I leave it up to buyer/seller to disclose any more information.


ericmartindale

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Re: Historic District
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2006, 10:51:33 AM »
Well, I hope the BUYER is a concerned Hackensack resident, and that the collection is marked for donation to the Hackensack historian upon his demise.

In my discusions with former historian George Scudder, he lamented the loss of the largest treasure trove of Hackensack artifacts ever assembled, including thousands of pictures and documents going back to the 1800's.  The collector's wife never saw value in the collection. In fact she considered the amount of time her husband spent on "Hackensack nonsense" instead of with her to be a major annoyance (she was just like my ex-wife). Hey, what's wrong with these women, anyway?

When the collector died, you can guess what happened......

Oh no, she wouldn't......Yep, the widow took great personal satisfaction in placing his entire collection, HIS LIFE'S WORK, out to the curb with the trash. It's probably destined to lie for all eternity 20 feet under the 6th tee on one of the ENCAP golf courses.

If you know who the BUYER is, I hope you have taken steps to ensure that the proper clauses be put into his will to ensure that the collection survives.

In the long run, the only way a collection can survive is in a museum.  The collector can always visit the museum to review his collection, and meanwhile take great personal satisfaction in knowing that history has been preserved.  In fact, I own quite a bit of "Hackensack nonsense" myself, and I often worry about what will ultimately happen to it.

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Re: Historic District
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2006, 04:23:51 PM »
Yes, the buyer is a Hackensack resident and informally agreed to allow me access to the collection for research if necessary. 

 

anything