An 1800s home in Paramus with ties to Black history will be spared, developer says – NorthJersey.com

Preview: Preservation New Jersey documentary 'Saved or Lost Forever"

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Courtesy of Preservation New Jersey

PARAMUS The historic Van Dien-Ruffgarten House, which has ties to a tiny community of Black homesteaders, will be spared the wrecking ball after years in limbo.

A developer hadrequesteda demolition permit for the West Midland Avenue property in 2019. At the time, Bill Twomey, who acts as manager for the applicant, 113-117 West Midland Avenue LLC, said the house was "beyond its useful life."

Now, however, the owner is seeking to preserve the stone portion of the historic home, although a later woodframe addition will be razed.An application to subdivide the property into three lots, which woulddesignate one lot for the preservation of the home, was heard by the Planning Board on Thursday night.

The house sits on a 9-acre lot and is one of six remaining Jersey Dutch stone houses in the borough. Built between the 1840s and 1850s, the one-room stone portion of the home was said to be occupied by members of a small enclave of educated and independent African Americans. It was placed on Preservation New Jersey's list of most endangered historic places in 2016.

The house was sold in the 1800sto Peter Ruffgarten, an immigrant from the Netherlands, who enlarged it by adding the frame section in 1869, according to nonprofit Preservation New Jersey.

Under the proposal, two of the three subdivided lots would be eligible for the building of a single-family home. An existingsingle-familyhouse on the property near the Van Dien-Ruffgarten House would remain standing.

More: Act now to save historic Van Dien-Ruffgarten House | Opinion

The applicant plans to offer the historic home to the borough or to a nonprofit.Ifthere is no interest, the new owner plans to maintain the house.

The Van Dien-Ruffgarten House is one of the boroughs last ties to Black history after the Zabriskie Tenant House was torn down in 2011. In the midst of plans to move the Zabriskie house to Bergen Community College, the developer razed the building and replaced it with two luxury homes.

H.Gelfand, thechairman of the Bergen County Historical Society Historic Preservation Committee,said he had a lot of questions he'd like answered before celebrating the proposal, including how a restoration would be done and if it would be done correctly. The stone house is now shored up by strips of lumber.

He'd also like to hear what type of use would be considered for the house. "What I don't want to happen is to go through all the trouble to restore it and then have it not be used and fall apart," said Gelfand.

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He also wished to see the wooden portion of the house saved, since he believed it would also be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

"Why would the entirety of the house not be restored and then either sell it to someone who wants to live in a historic home or why not use it as Section 8 housing?" said Gelfand. "That way, there's an active use for the house."

Hearing for the subdivision proposal will continue at the Planning Board's Oct. 21 meeting.

Stephanie Nodais a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email:noda@northjersey.com

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An 1800s home in Paramus with ties to Black history will be spared, developer says - NorthJersey.com