By Kathy Arlt, Contributing Writer @Blogfinger
A couple of months ago, after Charles Layton’s report that 35 Embury Avenue would more than likely be torn down, at least one commenter wondered why anyone should care about the loss of such an ugly, architecturally undistinguished building. No gingerbread graces its façade. Its original clapboard exterior was covered in siding at some point in its history. The windows are far from original. But who knows how grand it might have looked when it was built…in 1889?
In the course of archiving the Historical Society’s collection of photographs and documents, I’ve come across many examples of properties that appear vastly different today than when they were built. Sometimes the original structure burned down, and the property owners (or 99-year leaseholders, to be completely accurate) built “modern” homes, complete with driveways and garages. But often the owners just did some extreme remodeling—or “remuddling,” as the Old House Journal dubs it—long before Ocean Grove became a National Historic District and a Board of Architectural Review or Historic Preservation was created.
One example of this is 63 Cookman Avenue, which was originally a hotel called the Lane Villa. The first advertisement I could find for it appeared in the 1905 edition of the Ocean Grove Times.
Here’s an early photo of the Lane Villa:
A somewhat later photo is below. (How much later, unfortunately, is unknown, but based on the height of the trees, my guess would be twenty to thirty years.) As you can see, the hotel’s pennant is missing, the exterior painting appears less ornate, and some of the shutters have been removed.
And here is 63 Cookman today. It’s lost all its gingerbread, the peaked roof over the square turret, its upper porch, all the porch railings—even its collection of grass-strip trees. And oh yes: its covered in siding.
Ken,
I’m not sure how they arrive at their decisions, but I do know my neighbor was not permitted to replace her decaying wood columns and spindles with anything but wood. Mind you, her home and property are pristine; she wasn’t asking for anything outlandish, just enduring.
Thanks for the info, OGrover. The copper ornamentation must have been beautiful. The sea air patinas (can I turn patina into a verb?) like no other environment can. I would love to be able to find a way to use it on our home, but it is so expensive.
As I look at some of the homes in town, their does seem to be a bit of a capricious application of the rules.
It is not correct that wood columns and siding may only be replaced with wood. The HPC has been approving columns of various materials for years, and just this year cement fiber board has been approved to replace wood clapboard siding that needs to be replaced. Even wood windows in KEY structures may be replaced with “wood core” windows that have a prefinish wrap for protection against the elements. Fancy fret work is now commonly made of synthetic materials. (Life and maintenance are easier now-a-days.)
My view is that no one should buy a home in this town unless they are prepared to maintain it properly. It is well recognized that this town is by the sea with old homes that must be maintained to historic preservation standards. And, by the way, your taxes will keep going up too. None of this is a surprise.
If you can’t afford to keep your home up and pay your taxes, or are too lazy to keep your home up, please move elsewhere. Better yet, don’t move here to begin with.
Just an aside … Victorians were given to flights of fancy, but were also practical. If ‘wonderboard,’ pressure treated wood and composite columns were availible they probably would have used them if cost effective, especially in a salt air environment. A lot of the decorative gingerbreading was cut from galvanized tin instead of wood to last longer. Copper and slate were used a great deal not only for it’s look, but it’s durability as well. Even so, slate and copper do deteriorate over time. Tin will rust if not maintained.
So many keep asking how this happened; OGrover spelled it out clearly, but I’ll expand, at the risk of having to duck an onslaught of rotten tomatoes. If the town was a bit easier on those who would like to keep the look, but use more practical materials, then we might not see so much of the detail disappear. A neighbor has replaced her porch columns several times during her tenure here, but she is never permitted to use anything but wood. She said she’ll let it rot before she has to go through this again. A little common sense could go a long way to preserving the look we love.
As to the inside of someone’s home – I’ll take all new any day of the week. Charm wears thin when windows won’t open and stairs are so steep they can be used as a slide.
This is a perfect example of why we need a strong Ocean Grove Historical Preservation Committee and Master Plan, in order to help preserve our beautiful victorian homes, hotels and Bed & Breakfast Inns. Some Ocean Grove residents complain about the HPC regulations, but in the long run they are for the betterment of the town and to keep our historical district designation. Cudos to the HPC, OG Homeowners Association, OG Historical Society and the preservationists of Ocean Grove who help keep Ocean Grove a special place with historical significance. Since the Master Plan is currently in review, this is the time to voice your opinion for a strong Master Plan that will protect the Historical District of Ocean Grove.
Hopefully the current or future owners will do something to enhance this eyesore building back towards its Victorian roots.
Question: If any future exterior renovations are made to this building, will they be held to the standard of what it looks like now, or will they be held to a historic preservation standard? Asked another way, are the buildings in town that are clearly out of sync with historic Victorian vision of the town forever grandfathered at their current ugly present appearance, or is there a mechanism that will gradually get them up to a true historic preservation standard?
“This breaks my heart! You can tell just by looking at this house today that it used to be something marvelous. Thanks for the gingerbread pictures on the blog. What ever possessed people to deconstruct the beauty of these structures?”
Unfortunately this eyesore is in my neighborhood. Thank you Kathy Arlt for showing us what it used to look like. Now when I walk past it I can close my eyes and see it as it was in its glory.
It is very sad what evolved over the years. However, maybe the various owners fell on hard times. The upkeep of such a place close to the ocean must cost a fortune.
Also, Ocean Grove did not have all those guide lines in place and owners could do as they pleased, or what they could afford.
Today, many of the people looking to buy in Ocean Grove like the look of the old Victorians, but they want everything new inside and so goes the charm of the “old.” Sad, but true!!!
Unfortunately, this is fairly typical of what happens over time. The decorative elements, the ‘Ginger breading’, the whimsy of that bygone era disappear. Some of that embellishment was structural in nature, but it was pure fancy as well. At the time, you could probably get your entire house painted in multiple colors for 50 bucks or so to put an economic perspective on things. It was and is ‘high maintenance’ and not always practical or economically feasible to keep up with. Building codes, the ebb and flow of the economy, environmental factors and personal tastes all change over time. I truly admire those who ‘take on’ the care and maintenance of the Queen Anne and Victorian style homes and Inns. Ocean Grove is fortunate have so many that have done so. We have also learned in the last few years that it isn’t always easy to find buyers for these structures who are willing to take on the expense and ‘commitment’ for their care.
This is such a fantastic example of why historic preservation is so very important. Kudos to the author of this article for researching this and bringing Blogfinger readers the photos. Pictures can show us more than a thousand words can!!!!! Ocean Grove has so many home owners who have toiled and spent a fortune to bring back the glory of their homes from a horrible 70’s or 80’s renovation.
Noticed this house many times with it’s interesting angles and size. Great job showing what it was and could again be!!!
It looks like the owner(s) of this building systematically worked to make it as ugly as possible. They deleted, over time, every interesting aspect of the house. This takes a certain evil genius.
It’s terrible to see how much this building has been degraded through the years. Let’s hope that some of the new folks who are moving into town invest to restore some of the lost grandeur in their homes.
Kathy- One of your most interesting history lessons. Dramatically shows how much has been lost. Thank you very much.
This is a vivid example of what could happen all over town if we didn’t have the Historic Preservation Commission, if we allowed developers and their lawyers to weaken our historic protections, as they are constantly striving to do, and if we didn’t pay close attention to what’s in Neptune’s Master Plan.
Great article.