Looking Back…

‘99Annual ReportNew Jersey Historic Preservation OfficeDepartment of Environmental Protection • Division of Parks and Forestry

As I look back over this previous year, Ifind many noteworthyevents to report in this annual publi-cation. The Investment Tax Creditprogram experienced a record num-ber of historic reinvestment projectsapplying for pre-certification (Forhighlights see page 5). The dollarsleveraged in private sector invest-ment will undoubtedly boost NewJersey into the top ten in the nationin the year 2000. The NJ HistoricPreservation Office experienced anoverall 34% increase in workload thispast year. In part, this was due to ahealthy economy and increase inpublicly assisted capital projects.Secondarily, New Jersey is experienc-ing a proliferation of wireless commu-nication towers, all licensed by theFCC, necessitating an assessment oftheir impact on historic resources.(See page 9 for more details)

1999 also brought staffing changesto the HPO. Brian Geissler, who youmay remember worked on the lightrail transportation projects for the

previous four years, moved on to pri-vate sector employment last summer.We hope to have this position filledby the time you read this article.Formerly working with the passengerfacilities and rail operations projects,Kinney Clark will be re-focusing hisefforts on implementing HPO’s GISand tracking system and developing aweb page. We look forward to hiringhis replacement in the coming year.Sue Pringle has become the HPOsurvey coordinator and we will soonbe seeking her replacement for theNational Register program. Currentsurvey projects and a re-evaluation ofhow we track and store informationhave necessitated creating newopportunities within the office.

Last Spring, HPO unveiled ourfirst ever Guidelines for ArchitecturalSurvey. With this document, NJ setsforth professional standards andguidelines for historic architecturalsurvey, complimenting our archaeo-logical survey and reporting guide-lines. The new system of surveyforms is designed to ensure uniformi-

H i g h l i g h t s❖ 34 new listings were added to

the New Jersey & NationalRegisters of Historic Places,now totaling 1388 listings.

❖ 38 federal tax incentive applications, leveraging morethan $155 million in construc-tion projects were received.

❖ 2 new Certified Local Govern-ment municipality joined theprogram raising the total of par-ticipating communities to 29.

❖ 3 FY 1999 CLG grant projectsrepresenting $59,910 in assis-tance were completed.

❖ 4 new FY 2000 CLG grantawards were made for $60,694for technical assistance, educa-tion and planning projects.

❖ 40 SHPO Opinions of Eligibility were rendered.

❖ 1726 requests for Section 106consultation were logged.

❖ 195 applications for projectauthorization under the NJRegister of Historic Places Actwere reviewed.

❖ 23 projects funded were TEA-21 reviewed.

❖ 20,520 Customers receivedinformation in the mail inresponse to requests for technical assistance from HPOstaff.

❖ 260 orders filled for HPO freepublications representing a totalof 6,760 items.

❖ 38,000 telephone calls were fielded by HPO staff.

❖ 514 researchers, consultants,agencies and organizations utilized the HPO library andproject files.

Forging links with our past,creating vision for our future

Forging links with our past,

The HPO unveiled our first historic preservationposter, “Forging links with our past, creating

vision for our future”. The winner of our 1998photography contest was selected for the image.

The winning photograph was taken by Debra Natyzak from Johnsonburg.

Judges chose this image because it embodied thepotential for historic preservation. The poster is

available from the HPO for a $6 mailing fee.

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ty and consistency in data collectionand to provide useful guidance forcommunities, citizens, and consul-tants. Following several years ofintensive development, discussion,numerous revisions and professionalpeer review, we are relieved to seethis project finally completed andwill be scheduling training work-shops in the coming year.

The Abel and Mary NicholsonHouse, Elsinboro Township in SalemCounty was nominated for NationalHistoric Landmark (NHL) designa-tion by the NHL Committee of theNational Park Service AdvisoryBoard. If successful, the Nicholsonhouse will join New Jersey’s fifty-twoexisting Landmarks. The house wasnominated because of its exceptionalembodiment of patterned brickworkand for its 1720’s intact interior. Twoimportant downtown commercial his-toric districts were added to the NJRegister of Historic Places: the FourCorners Historic District in Newarkand the Downtown Commercial His-toric District in Paterson. Togetherthese important listings addedapproximately 500 contributingresources to the State Register.

The Historic Property ReinvestmentAct, disappointingly, did not pass the

Another banner year, the NJHistoric Preservation Officeconducted a statewide conference,conducted five local workshops onthe CLG program, and participatedin more than a dozen symposiums,workshops and conferences. The NJHistoric Preservation Office teamedup with Drew University to teachclasses as part of the new Certificatein Historic Preservation program.Our staff contributed to articles inour Historic Preservation Bulletins,produced four new technical assis-tance publications andrevised/redesigned 25 existing publi-cations.

“Old Places - New Tools”, the 1999Historic Preservation Annual Confer-ence was held at the Dwight MorrowHigh School in Englewood on April24, 1999. Over 200 attended the con-ference breakout sessions on: Down-town Revitalization, The History ofCommercial Architecture, Archaeolo-gy, Traffic Calming, Main Street Pro-gram, Design Guidelines & Zoning,and Brownfields. The keynoteaddress was given by Norman Mintz,the original Main Street Managerwho initiated the Market StreetRestoration Project in Corning, NewYork 25 years ago and co-authored“Cities Back from the Edge: New Life forDowntown” with Roberta Gratz.

The Old Barracks Museum and NJHistoric Preservation Office hostedNew Jersey’s second statewide con-ference entitled “Putting Women in

HPO Annual Conference

Englewood, New Jersey

Outreach Initiatives

Assembly in 1999. Any attempt toprovide historic homeowner relief formaintaining and enhancing their his-toric homes will have to begin anewin 2000.

The Woman’s Heritage Trail billwas signed by Governor Whitmanlast October, allocating $70,000 to theHistoric Preservation Office to initi-ate a context study and comprehen-sive survey of historic sites associatedwith NJ women in history. We willbe working in partnership with theAlice Paul Centennial Foundation toproduce a list of potential candidatesfor the trail by this time next year.The bill was sponsored by SenatorDiane Allen, Assemblywoman RoseMarie Heck, former AssemblymanGerald J. Luongo, and Senator JamesS. Cafiero.

The year 2000 promises to be avery busy one for the NJ HistoricPreservation Office and we wisheveryone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Sincerely,

Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer

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Place: Historic Site Interpretation” onMarch 13, 1999 in Trenton. Keynotespeaker, New Jersey Senator DianeAllen provided an inspiring addresson the importance of recognizing thecontributions that women have madeto New Jersey History. She furtherdiscussed how passage of the “NewJersey Women’s Heritage Trail”, intro-duced by Senator Allen, will assistthe State in identifying, recordingand promoting historic resourcesassociated with prominent women in New Jersey’s history.

In addition the NJ Historic Preservation Office co-sponsored and or participated in the followingprograms:

- NJ Division of Parks & Forestry“Division Day”

- FY 1999 New Jersey Historic Preservation Awards Program

- 6th Annual New Jersey HistoryIssues Convention

- Local workshops on the CertifiedLocal Government program inBloomfield, Mahwah, Cape May,South Brunswick and Hopewell.

- TRB Annual Meeting

- League of New Jersey HistoricalSocieties, Spring Meeting

- Roebling Chapter SIA AnnualConference

- Mount Hope Historical Conservancy Board of Directors

- New Jersey League of Municipalities Annual Conference

- Advisory Council For HistoricPreservation Cultural ResourceManagement Workshop on thenew Section 106 Regulations

- National Conference of State Historic Preservation OfficersAnnual Meetings

- TRANSACTION

- New Jersey Main Street Advisors

- New Jersey Historical Society -Women’s History Month

- Zonta Regional Conference

- National Park Service, EndangeredLandmarks Program

- Drew University Certificate in Historic Preservation Program

- NJ Department of TransportationTEA-21 Application Review Committee

Division Day Workshop on the Officer's QuartersRehabilitation, Fort Mott State Park.

The Transportation EquityAct for the 21st Century,Transportation Enhancement (TEA-21, TE) program (formerly ISTEA,TE Program), provides New Jerseywith approximately $12,487,449 peryear, which, over a six year periodtotals $74,895,314, for transportationenhancement funded projects. Dur-ing the calendar year 1999, the NJHistoric Preservation Office (HPO)reviewed twenty three (23) TEA-21,TE funded projects for compliancewith the National Historic Preserva-tion Act (NHPA) of 1966, to deter-mine that the projects are inconformance with the Secretary ofthe Interior’s Standards for Rehabili-tation. The reviews include: nine (9)streetscape improvement projects,including sidewalks, lighting, andstreet furnishings; six (6) railroad station rehabilitation and/or site

improvement projects; six (6) pedes-trian trails/access improvement projects; and two (2) transportationrelated building rehabilitation pro-jects.

Examples of funded projectsassisted by the HPO include:

Merchants andDrovers Tavern

Rehabilitation, Rahway,

Union County.

Merchants and Drovers Tavern,listed in the New Jersey Register ofHistoric Places (NJRHP) and theNational Register of Historic Places(NRHP), is the oldest extant tavernin Rahway, and has played a signifi-cant role in its early history as a rep-resentative example of a crossroadscommunity tavern. Constructed as atwo and one half (2 1/2) story build-ing in the 1780s, Merchants andDrovers Tavern was enlarged to athree and one half (3 1/2) story hotelaround 1825. It was constructedalong a stagecoach route followingthe American Revolution and contin-

TEA-21, TE Funded

Projects

Merchants and Drovers TAvernRehabilitation, Rahway,

Union County

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ued to serve as an inn for approxi-mately two hundred (200) years.The tavern was rescued fromdestruction in the late 1960s by thenewly formed Rahway HistoricalSociety, which has owned the build-ing for the past twenty five (25)years. Because of its size, location,and imposing presence at a promi-nent location at a major intersection(NJ 27 and Westfield Avenue), it hasbeen considered a landmark by thosewho have passed it since its circa1825 vertical enlargement to its pre-sent height. This project will restoreand rehabilitate the Merchants andDrovers Tavern exterior and interiorspaces to their circa 1798-1825appearance in order to implementplanning goals for the interpretationof the site as a museum of stagecoachtravel and early tavern and hotel life.

Oradell Railroad Sta-tion Rehabilitation,

Oradell Borough, Bergen

County.

Oradell Railroad Station, listed inthe NJRHP and the NRHP, is locat-ed on a relatively open park-like siteat the east edge of the Oradell Bor-ough commercial district. It is a oneand one half (1 1/2) story frame stationwith an adjoining freight house andinbound platform west of the railroadtracks. It is a fine 1890 example ofthe Queen Anne style of architectureadapted to the functions of a late19th century suburban station. Ofparticular note are the tower, steeple,turned columns, veranda, and artglass windows. Immediately west ofthe station is a loop drive fromOradell Avenue to Maple Avenue.This project will restore the exteriorof the building including roof ridgecresting, tower finials, art glass win-dows, and the reconstruction of theporte cochere extending from thewest elevation over the loop drive.

Rogers LocomotiveWorks Frame Fitting

Shop Rehabilitation, City ofPaterson, Passaic County.

Rogers Locomotive Works FrameFitting Shop is a contributing build-ing in Great Falls/Society of Useful

Manufactures Historic District, listedin the NJRHP and the NRHP. TheRodgers Locomotive and MachineWorks, situated near the middle levelof the Great Falls raceway in one ofPaterson’s oldest industrial areas,consists of five (5) structures erectedduring the firm’s heyday in the 1870sand 1880s. The Frame Fitting Shop,constructed in 1881 on the site of anearlier Rogers office and storagebuilding, is a three (3) story structurewith pilaster brick walls resting on abrick foundation. In addition to thepilasters, the exterior architecturaldetail includes extensive brick cor-belling along the roofline, and win-dow surrounds. The structure iscapped with a hipped roof. Thisbuilding will be adaptively re-used asa Transportation Opportunity Center,providing residents of Paterson withthe skills and services necessary tobecome eligible for transportationrelated career opportunities.

Dover Downtown Historic Lighting

Installation Project, DoverTown, Morris County.

Dover Downtown Lighting Instal-lation Project, situated within theboundaries of Blackwell Historic Dis-trict, listed in the New Jersey andNational Registers, is the commercialand civic heart of Dover Town, oneof the most important 19th centuryindustrial towns in Morris County.The institutions, businesses andarchitecture found within the districtillustrate the lifestyle of a workingclass community from 1827 throughthe first third of the 20th century.From the beginning of its history,Dover’s most important stores, banks,hotels, theatres, churches, and publicbuildings have been found within thedistrict, a concentration resultingfrom the planning efforts of thetown’s founders, New York entrepre-neurs Blackwell and McFarlan. Theproject will provide the installation ofhistorical lighting fixtures within thedistrict to complement its rich con-centration of historic architecture.

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Oradell Railroad Station REhabilitation, Oradell Borough, Bergen County

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Rogers Locomotive Works FrameFitting Shop Rehabilitation, City

of Paterson, Passaic County

Dover Downtown Historic LightingInstallation Project, Dover Town,

Morris County.

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Several months after theUnited States SupremeCourt awarded jurisdiction of thesouth side of Ellis Island to New Jersey, 88 volunteers converged thereto stabilize the Commissioner’sHouse. Built in 1909, the two-and-a-half story residence was a home tohigh-level medical staff who treatedimmigrants with contagious diseasesin the island’s hospital facilities. Thefour days of work last March on theNeoclassical building included;removal of vegetation, the sealing ofwindows and doors, and the protec-tion of ornamental and functionalmetal details. As a result the buildingis now preserved for another 15 yearswhile it awaits a complete rehabilita-

tion plan along with the other 28buildings on the south side of theisland. The project was co-sponsoredby the National Park Ser-vice, Cornell University,and the NJ Historic Preser-vation Office. the volun-teers were comprised ofCornell Historic Preserva-tion Planning and City andRegional Planning students,Cornell Historic Preserva-tion Planning Alumni, andalumni associated with theCornell Club-New YorkOutreach Committee.Materials used to accom-plish the project were large-ly donated by local businesses andnational chains. It is hoped that theproject will serve as a model for theother groups to come forward andsave other historic resources, both onand off Ellis Island.

Ellis IslandWork Weekend

Investment TaxCredit Program

During the past calendaryear, the NJ HistoricPreservation Office (HPO) hasreceived 38 applications for the Historic Preservation Certification/Investment Tax Credit Program. Ofthese, 16 were Part 1 applicationsseeking certification that the subjectproperty was a certified historicstructure. An additional 15 submit-tals were Part 2 applications thatdescribed the construction work thatwas being proposed for the building.Two amendments to previously sub-mitted Part 2s were also received,along with two preliminary Part 2applications. Four were Part 3 appli-cations that described the completedconstruction work.

Rehabilitation work was proposedin 15 municipalities covering 13

Located within the Van Vorst Park National Register Historic District, this vacant building is one of many in Jersey City that is

being rehabilitated with an Investments Tax Credit. Photo by GerryBakirtjy, Architect.

counties. To assist the owners, archi-tects, and preservation consultantsinvolved in this work, HPO staffmade site visits to 14 of these con-struction projects, providing techni-cal advice to facilitate compliancewith the Secretary of the Interior’s

Volunteers removing brush at the Commissioner’s House on the south

side of Ellis Island.

The rehabilitated interior of Elizabeth’sWinfield Scott Tower. Photo by Giovanni

Scalzulli.

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Ian Burrow of Hunter Research shows Gov-ernor Whitman the archaeological remainsof a building predating the 1761 BearleyHouse. The previously unknown building

was discovered as the result of archaeological investigation.

Standards for the Rehabilitation ofHistoric Resources. The Part 2applications indicate a private invest-ment of more than $155,276,900 inthose fifteen projects alone. Clearlythe ITC program is an importantincentive for the preservation of NewJersey’s historic resources.

Greatly contributing to the successof the tax credit program is thestate’s new Rehabilitation Sub-Code.Under the old code, if a rehabilita-tion project cost more than 50% ofthe building’s value, the entire struc-ture had to “be brought up to code,”a code written for new construction,

The NJ Historic PreservationOffice reviews projects toensure important historic and prehis-toric archaeological information asso-ciated with New Jersey history willnot be destroyed as the result of pub-licly assisted construction projects.At the same time that we make cer-tain that scholarly information is notlost, the NJ Historic PreservationOffice encourages consultants andproject sponsors to incorporate publicinvolvement and public visitationdays at excavations throughout thestate. Public open house days atarchaeological sites provide opportu-nities for students, inquiring citizens,and historic preservationists to wit-ness discoveries as they are beingmade. In this way local and New Jer-sey history can come alive for com-munities and their children, helpingto counter the cultural amnesiaresulting from modern changes to thelandscape. Open house days also pro-vide a two-way avenue for broaden-

ing understanding and appreciationbetween archaeologists and local resi-dents, including children. Archaeolo-gists gain insight into the interestsand perspectives of communitymembers. Visitors are exposed to thephysical labor and careful prove-nience recording involved in con-trolled hand excavations of importantartifact deposits, and how archaeolo-gy can facilitate the discovery of his-tory. This social and educationalcollaboration is vital in building aconstituency on behalf of archaeolo-gy within the historic preservationmovement and New Jersey citizenryat large.

At the Bearley House in LawrenceTownship, Mercer County archaeo-logical investigation by HunterResearch resulted in extensive visita-tion by elementary school-age chil-dren, an opportunity to learnarchaeological techniques for olderchildren, a visit by Governor Whit-man, and discovery of rich archaeo-logical remains associated with theoccupancy of the Bearley House andearlier buildings on site. Otherarchaeological site open houses/pub-lic visitation days held in 1999include those associated with: Bever-

Public Benefitto Archaeology

not historic buildings. This resultedin numerous projects being deemedinfeasible due to this hardship (andthe delays and costs associated withvariance requests). With the newcode, the reuse of old buildings hasjumped 60%, and the rehabilitationcosts have dropped as much as 50%.

To encourage more of these build-ing owners to participate in the ITCprogram while utilizing the Rehabili-tation sub-code, a Historic Preserva-tion Bulletin focusing on theRehabilitation Tax Credit is current-ly being produced.

wyck Manor Historic Site in Parsip-pany-Troy Hills Township, MorrisCounty conducted by McCormickTaylor and sponsored by NJDOT;Edwards Run Site in East GreenwichTownship, Gloucester County conducted by Richard Grubb andAssociates and sponsored by KarmanCommunities Corporation; Prehis-toric Archaeological Site 28 Gl 246conducted by the Cultural ResourceConsulting Group and sponsored byPG&E Generating; Ross FarmsteadSite in Frankford Township, SussexCounty conducted by HunterResearch and sponsored by NJDOT;and the Woolbriar Farm PrehistoricSite conducted by the CulturalResource Consulting Group andsponsored by K. Hovnanian. Fieldschools have been conducted byBrookdale Community College at

Monmouth Battlefield and by Monmouth University at Twin LightsHistoric Site, both State-owned his-toric sites in Monmouth County andboth conducted in cooperation withthe State’s Division of Parks andForestry.

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Middletown Township historic preservationistsconfer with Peter Primavera of the CulturalResource Consulting Group during an openhouse for archaeological investigation of theWoolbriar Farm site (28MO270). Funding

came from K. Hovnanian as part of prepara-tions for its Laurel Avenue project. This sitealong Mahoras Brook was used by Lenapefamilies off-and-on for the past 7000 years.

Students at the Bearley House learn how tokeep records from an archaeological

excavation.

On May 18, 1999 the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) pub-lished revised regulations imple-menting Section 106 of the NationalHistoric Preservation Act (NHPA),requiring that federal agencies “takeinto account” the effect of federallyfunded, licensed or permitted under-takings on historic properties.

The revised regulations, publishedas 36 CFR Part 800, Protection ofHistoric Properties (Federal Register,Volume 64, Number 95), placeincreased emphasis on federal agencyconsultation with the State HistoricPreservation Office (SHPO) in fourareas: delineating the Area of Poten-tial Effects (APE), defined as thearea where an undertaking maydirectly or indirectly cause changesin the character or use of historicproperties; compiling a list of indi-viduals and groups who may haveinformation relevant to the evalua-tion of historic properties; identifyingthose who will participate in the Sec-

tion 106 process as consulting parties;developing a public involvementplan that identifies how and whenconsulting parties and the public willbe provided opportunities to partici-pate in the Section 106 process.Immediately following the adoptionof the revised regulations, NJ His-toric Preservation Office (HPO)arranged ACHP training sessions andworked with the New Jersey Divi-sion of the Federal Highway Admin-istration (FHWA) and the NewJersey Department of Transportation(NJDOT) to develop procedures forimplementing the regulations duringthe FHWA and NJDOT projectdevelopment process. A similareffort to review the regulations withthe Federal Transit Administrationand New Jersey Transit was initiatedin late 1999 and will be concludedearly in 2000. Transportation andPlanning Unit staff also participatedin the planning and presentation of aSection 106 workshop sponsored bythe North Jersey TransportationPlanning Authority, one of threeMetropolitan Planning Organizationsin New Jersey responsible for pro-gramming federal transportationfunds.

New Section 106Regulations

Copies of the New Regulations are availablefrom the Historic Preservation Office.

The New Jersey & National Registers of Historic Places are the officiallistings of registered historic properties in the state. The National Registerwas established in 1966 and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places wascreated in 1970.

Thirty four nominations were added either to the New Jersey Register ofHistoric Places or the National Register *during the past year.

Atlantic County

* Captain Francis Babcock House, Absecon City

Bergen County

* Palisades Interstate Parkway, Alpine, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, &Tenafly Boroughs

Burlington County

* St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Beverly City

*Riverton Historic District, Riverton Borough

Camden County

Kay-Evans Farmstead, Cherry Hill Township and Haddonfield Borough

Cape May County

* George Hildreth House, Lower Township

* John W. Gandy House, Upper Township

Cumberland County

* Bethel AME Church, Greenwich Township

Essex County

Four Corners Historic District, Newark

* Riverbank Park, Newark

* St. Lucy’s Church, Newark

Hudson County

* Jersey City YMCA, Jersey City

Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Embankment, Jersey City

Riverton Historic District,Burlington County

Kay-Evans Farmstead, Camden County

Palisades Interstate Parkway,Bergen County

Bethel AME Church, Cumberland County

New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places

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Jersey City YMCA, Hudson County

Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Embankment,

Hudson County

Riverbank Park, Essex County

Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club,Morris County

Hunterdon County

* Peck’s Ferry Bridge, Delaware Township

* Covered Bridge Historic District, Delaware Township

Ringoes Historic District, East Amwell Township

Mercer County

* University Cottage Club, Princeton Borough

* Washington Road Elms Alee, West Windsor Township

Middlesex County

*Randolphville Bridge, Piscataway Township

Monmouth County

* North Long Branch School, Long Branch City

* Middletown Historic District (named changed from the

King’s Highway Historic District), Middletown Township

* Clarksburg Methodist Episcopal Church, Millstone Township

* Clarksburg School, Millstone Township

Morris County

* Silver Lake Historic District, Harding Township

* Ralston Historic District boundary increase, Mendham Township

* Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club, Mt.Arlington Borough

Illumination Gas Plant at the New Jersey State Asylum for the Insane (Greystone Psychiatric Hospital) Parsippany-Troy Hills Township

Passaic County

* Dundee Canal Industrial Historic District, Clifton &Passaic Cities

* John W Rea House, Hawthorne Borough

* Downtown Commercial Historic District, Paterson City

Somerset County

* J. Harper Smith Mansion, Somerville Borough

Sussex County

* Neldon-Hornbeck House, Montague Township

Warren County

* Vass Homestead, Hardwick Township

* Port Colden Historic District, Mansfield & Washington Townships

* Perry-Petty Farmstead, Mansfield Township

Historic View of Original Gasholderand 1876 Retort/Purification House

c. 1890 Greystone Scrapbook

Peck’s Ferry BridgeHunterdon County

J. Harper Smith MansionSomerset County

Four Corners Historic DistrictEssex County

Neldon Hornbeck FarmSussex County

Vass HomesteadWarren County

St. Lucy’s ChurchEssex County

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Along the Delaware and Raritan Canal, the Griggstown Bridge Tender’s Station and Outhousewere swept 100’upstream by floodwaters from the

Millstone River during Tropical Storm Floyd.

In 1999, as a result of theTelecommunications Act of1996 and the increase of wirelesscommunication users, the NJ His-toric Preservation Office (HPO) hasexperienced an astronomical increaseof over 600 percent in the requestsfor Section 106 consultation for wire-less communication equipment. Thisincrease most likely represents only apercentage of the actual number ofcommunication equipment that hasbeen constructed in the past year.Wireless communication carriers arelicensed by the Federal Communica-tion Commission (FCC) to constructequipment necessary to provide wire-less communication service.

This licensing requires a reviewunder Section 106 of the NationalHistoric Preservation Act. Much ofthe requests require an effects assess-ment for the construction of latticetowers, monopoles, co-located anten-nae on a previously existing struc-ture, or cells-on-wheels (COW).

The NJ Historic PreservationOffice met with many carriers toinform them of the their responsibili-ties under Section 106. Consultingfirms representing various carriersattended monthly training sessions atthe HPO which enabled them to ini-

tiate consultation. Through meetingsand site visits the HPO has been suc-cessful in having many carriers movetheir proposed communication equip-ment to locations more sympatheticto historic properties and the culturallandscape. We have also been suc-cessful in having balloon tests per-formed by the carriers to properlyassess adverse visual impacts on his-toric properties in close proximity tothe proposed tower location. Wecontinue to encourage the construc-tion of “stealth” communicationfacilities wherever appropriate.

The HPO has actively involvedlocal officials and interested publicin the Section 106 review process ofthese projects and have also provid-ed technical assistance to manyorganizations regarding the regula-tion of wireless communicationequipment.

As the popularity of this technol-ogy expands, the HPO expects toreceive an even larger number ofconsultation requests for the FCClicensed equipment that facilitatesthis service. In order to better man-age the construction of new wirelesscommunication equipment in NewJersey, the HPO is in the process ofdrafting a publication regarding thepotential impacts, both visually andarcheologically, of this equipment onhistoric resources and ways that theseimpacts can be mitigated or avoided.

Wireless Communication

HPO staff witnessing a ballon test for assessingvisual impacts on historic properties.

As a result of the tropical stormthat blew through New Jersey onSeptember 16, eight counties weredeclared a presidential emergency,entitling them to federal assistanceby the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency (FEMA). HPO staffworked closely with FEMA to expe-dite the Section 106 review, necessi-tated by the use of federal funds, torepair flood damage. To help FEMAidentify historic properties that mayhave been affected, NJ HistoricPreservation Office (HPO) providedlists of contacts for local historical

societies, and made immediate emer-gency site visits. Working withFEMA’s cultural resource specialist,HPO staff expedited the processthrough the use of e-mail with aresponse time of less than 24 hours.HPO staff worked closely with Coun-ty and local officials to ensure thathistoric bridges were both repairedquickly, and without harm to theirhistoric character.

Through our close working rela-tionship with FEMA, many of thesmaller historical organizations, aswell as the State Park Service, whichsuffered damage, will receive neededfunds to return their historic sitesinto their “pre-storm” condition.

Tropical StormFloyd

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With the construction of anew convention center inAtlantic City, preservationists worriedabout the fate of the historic AtlanticCity Convention Hall, located on theboardwalk.

Without a new use to sustain itself,other than as the home for the MissAmerica Pageant, preservationistsfeared that this building wouldquickly become obsolete and eventu-ally fall to the wrecker’s ball. The

Atlantic City Convention Hall wasdesignated a National Historic CivilEngineering Landmark in 1983because, when it was built, it con-tained the largest room with an unob-structed view in the history ofarchitecture. Upon its completion in1929, the building could seat all ofAtlantic City’s residents.

But fortunately the New JerseySports and Exposition Authorityresponded with plans to sensitivelyturn the Landmark into a facility thatcould accommodate a minor leaguehockey arena by inserting a new seat-ing bowl. The top of the seatingbowl was kept below the decorativeloggia level. To mitigate the loss ofthe first seating balcony that must beremoved to insert the bowl seating,

Landmark ConventionHall Given New Life

NJ Historic Preserva-tion Office main-tains a diverse collection of resourcematerial pertaining to New Jersey’shistoric and archaeological resources.The collection includes HistoricStructure Reports, CRM reports, pro-ject files, technical reference data,county and thematic surveys, slides,photographs, and National RegisterNominations. Because of the collec-tion’s diversity, using the HPOresources for project research was notalways a straightforward process.With the advent of converting ourdata into a Geographic InformationSystem (GIS), HPO initiated anoffice wide re-organization of the col-lection with the ultimate goal towardreducing the time it presently takesto access data.

During 1999, the HPO internsfocused their attention toward twoindependent projects to streamlinethe retrieval of resource information;the SHPO opinion project and the

library-cataloging project. TheSHPO opinion project was initiatedto create individual permanent recordfiles for each opinion of NationalRegister eligibility that has beenauthored by the HPO over the lasttwenty years. Begun in 1997, thisinitiative has been the primary focusof several interns. Completion willenable more efficient research, bothby the staff and by outside users.Efforts also include completing his-toric property mapping as part of thegroundwork for the GIS. Hudsonand Morris counties, two of thelargest in their number of historicproperties, were completed duringthe 1999 calendar year. Only threecounties remain to be processedalong with the mapping for severalhistoric resources.

Based on a survey of similar, smalllibrary systems, the library catalogingproject was initiated this year to cre-ate a catalogue database in MicrosoftAccess for the HPO ReferenceLibrary. Fifty percent of the refer-ence section has been catalogued andprogress has been made on catalogingthe accessioned CRM reports thisyear. Future plans include catalogingaudiovisual and photographic materi-al, and re-organizing the slide collec-tion.

PermanentRecords and

LibraryOrganization

The annual New Jersey HistoricPreservation Awards Ceremony heldon Saturday, May 8, 1999 at the OldBarracks Museum, Trenton.

James F. Hall, Assistant Commissioner for Natural & HistoricResources, Department of Environ-mental Protection, read a proclama-tion from Governor Whitmancommemorating the week of May 9-15 as Historic Preservation Week.

Guest Speaker Sally Lane, Direc-tor, Trenton Convention & VisitorsBureau, provided the attendees withinsights into the politics of historyand historic preservation in theState's Capital.

Each year since 1989 preservation-ists have gathered together to kick-off Historic Preservation Week byhonoring individuals, businesses, and organizations in New Jersey whohave made important contributions tothe preservation of the State's his-toric resources. The purpose of the

awards is to increase public aware-ness of historic preservation and torecognize contributions by individu-als, organizations and agencies, pro-jects of excellent quality andvolunteer contributions to preservehistoric resources.

The 1999 recipients include:

Old Barracks Museum

Deep Search Metal Detecting in Affiliation with MonmouthBattlefield

Ralph Phillips and Daniel M. Sivilich, Co-chairs of the Archaeology Committee

North Pemberton Train Station

Violet Cox

New Jerseytimes Radio Series,Rutgers Office of TV & Radio

Preservation and Restoration of the Georgian Court Bridge,Lakewood

Walt Whitman House, Camden

Trenton War Memorial

United States Senator Frank Lautenberg

13

Atlantic City Convention Hall during removal ofthe ceiling to remove asbestos. Each of the plat-

forms visible in the photograph is 30’by 60’. Theplatforms were constructed to move along steel

tracks running the length of the ceiling

the project will include the installa-tion of an updated version of theoriginal lighting system for the Hall.The lighting system, which was inplace for the first convention held inthe hall celebrating Edison’s achieve-ments, allows for complex lightingeffects on the ceiling. Challengesfaced by the project team includedmatching the visual character of theoriginal pressed sugar cane ceilingtiles (that were deteriorated, and con-taminated by the asbestos layer origi-nally installed behind the tile) withnew tiles that will also improve theacoustics. Given that there is over 4

1/2 acres of ceiling, matching the his-toric appearance is critical to preserv-ing the Convention Hall’s historiccharacter.

HPO assisted the Sports andExposition Authority in finding equi-ty sources for the project, and as aresult, the $85M+ project will benefitfrom over $14M in tax creditsthrough the Investment Tax Creditprogram. The project plans haverecently been certified by HPO andthe National Park Service as meetingthe Secretary of the Interior’s Stan-dards for Rehabilitation.

Ninth AnnualHistoric

PreservationAwards

Ceremony

Violet Cox (right) received an award for hersignificant contributions to promotion,

enhanced appreciation and protection of historic resources in New Jersey.

We are sad to report that Violet Cox passed away in December. She will be missed by her friends, family and the

preservation community.

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The CLG program gainedmomentum in New Jersey, in 1999the NJ Historic Preservation Office(HPO) received applications fromfive communities expressing interestin participating in the CLG program.During the year Fanwood Boroughand Princeton Borough became the30th and 31st communities to joinour program. The HPO providedextensive technical assistance to theCity of Cape May enabling them toadopt a new ordinance that willenable the community to participatein the program. With our assistancethe City of Bayonne and MahwahTownship have developed and adopt-ed historic preservation ordinances.We provided technical assistance to54 communities by telephone, directmail and at public meetings. In addi-tion, we responded to 1827 citizenrequests for information on creatinghistoric preservation zoning, commis-sions, preservation guidelines andreview standards. Grant applicationswere distributed to the Mayor andHistoric Preservation CommissionChair in each of the 30 CLG commu-nities eligible to apply. The HPOawarded $60,694 in available match-ing grant funds for proposed projectsto the following communities:

- Evesham Township, $12,825 for His-toric Preservation Commission Tech-nical Assistance and consulting boothat the League of Municipalities.

- Newton Town, $12,800 for astatewide CLGand Historic Preserva-tion Commission workshop, Webpage and educational brochure.

- Princeton Township, $24,433 for aNew Jersey and National Registernomination for a portion of KingsHighway Routes 206 and 27.

- Collingswood Borough, $10,636 forthe Zane School Architectural Plansand Specifications.

In addition, the HPO has commit-ted an additional $36,186 in FY 2000funds to:

- Burlington City, $24,000 over 2 yearsfor a historic resource survey and His-toric Preservation Master Plan ele-ment.

- Middletown Township, $12,186 for alocal survey and designation project.

For a second year the HistoricPreservation Office and Town ofNewton promoted local andstatewide historic preservation pro-grams and initiatives at a three dayconsultation session at the annualmeeting of the League of Municipali-ties attended by over 11,000 localofficials.

Twenty-seven members fromCLG Historic Preservation Commis-sions were provided free admission toour annual conference “Old PlacesNew Tools” held at the Dwight Mor-row High School in Englewood.

The CLG program is committedto assisting communities in develop-ment of ordinances and preservationtools that empower communities topreserve their historic resources andto enhance their unique sense ofplace for future generations.

Local Assistance

A CLG grant to the Town of Newton enabledthem to revise and reprint one of their mostrequested publications “Around the Green.”

This publication was first developed andprinted with Historic Preservation Office

grant assistance in 1991.

With CLG grant assistance the Township of Evesham and HistoricPreservation Office developed newuser friendly Procedural Guidelinesfor applications related to local His-

toric Archaeological and CulturalResources Ordinance. Copies are

available from the HPO upon request.

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Philetus Holt, Chair, A.I.A.

Princeton, NJ, Partner, Holt Morgan and Russell

David Abramson, A.I.A.

Newark, NJDavid V. Abramson Associates

Lillie J. Edwards

Montclair, NJProfessor of HistoryDrew University

Ellen Fletcher

Frenchtown, NJ PrincipalThe Right Word

Howard Green

Highland Park, NJ Research Director, New Jersey Historical Commission

Nancy B. Felix

Glen Ridge, NJ Consultant

Anthony Puniello

Highland Park, NJ, Supervising Environmental Specialist, Divisionof Wastewater Assistance Program,NJDEP

Peter Wacker,

Martinsville, NJProfessor of GeographyRutgers University

Robert Watson

Greenwich, NJRobert Watson Architect

Connie Webster Vice-Chair

Highland Park, NJ, Professor, Landscape Architecture, Rutgers University

Lorriane Williams

Hamilton, NJ Curator of Archaeology and Ethnology, New Jersey State Museum

Robert Zion

Imlaystown, NJLandscape ArchitectZion & Breen Associates, Inc.

New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites

J. Mark Mutter, Esq., Chair

Toms River, NJ

Alan B. Buchan

Mount Laurel, NJ

Lu Ann De Cunzo, Ph.D.

Greenwich, NJ

Curtis W. Harker

Salem, NJ

Michael Henry

Greenwich, NJ

Deborah M. Kelly

Crosswicks, NJ

Margaret Nordstrom

Long Valley, NJ

Robert Preston

Atlantic City, NJ

Flavia Alaya

Paterson NJ

New Jersey Historic Sites Council

State of New JerseyNJ Department of Environmental Protection

Natural & Historic ResourcesHistoric Preservation officeP.O. Box 404, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0404

Tel: (609) 984-0176 Fax: (609) 984-0578

visit our Website at:www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo

This publication has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation Office. The contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior. This program receives federal financial assistance for the identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or handicap in its federally assisted programs. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C. Street NW (NC200), Washington, D.C. 20240

Rev. 12/08

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