Centennial Cottage “abuzz with ladders” by Jean Bredin, Blogfinger staff. June 3, 2015. © Be careful Patrick—the bucket’s got a hole in it.
Centennial Cottage is maintained as a historical museum by the Historical Society of Ocean Grove. It is at Central Avenue and McClintock Street. Tours are given in-season; just contact the HSOG.
The cottage was built in 1874 and is of the “carpenter’s gothic style.” It was donated to the OGCMA by the Robert Skold family.
A Victorian garden adjoins the cottage.
Credit: All the information above is courtesy of Wayne T. Bell of Ocean Grove. He is the author of Images of America: Ocean Grove, published in 2000.
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND (New Orleans)
The names of historical styles have changed over the years. Centennial Cottage would be called a Swiss Gothic Chalet today. This was inspired by Swiss farmhouses where animals lived on the ground floor, the people above to take advantage of the animals’ heat, and the whole was insulated above by a hayloft. To keep the hay dry, the roof extended forward beyond the wall of the house. While the local version of the style is not to be found in Switzerland, its features include balconies on upper floors and the protruding roof. The style was probably most popular in the mid-1880s. It was preceded by the related Stick Style and followed by the Queen Anne Style. The cottage is now dated at c. 1884.