Blogfinger

Peter Tallman Stunz.

104 Clark at New Jersey. Paul Goldfinger photo 2/5/24. Blogfinger.net

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net

In 2022, Blogfinger heard from Peter Tallman  Stunz whose family was linked to #104 Clark Avenue for most of its life. He told us the story of his great grandfather whose name was also Peter Tallman Stunz.  Below is the link to that Blogfinger article from 2022

link to an Ocean Grove  family history

But today, February 5, 2024, we heard from Peter again who shares with us the rest of the story and lets us into the living and final history of 104 Clark Avenue, at the corner of New Jersey Avenue, which will cease to exist tomorrow when it will meet the wrecking ball:

Feb. 5, 2024.   Hi Paul, this is Peter Tallman Stunz. I sent you the photo of my great grandfather a few years back—2020.  I noticed you’ve used it a few times since.

I wanted to let you know that tomorrow, my old house is scheduled to be torn down. We sold it back in October of 2022. It became too expensive for us to maintain and pay taxes on. Unfortunately, renting it out was also not an option since it needed too much work to make it safe to do so. I suppose this is my goodbye note to the house. It has stood for 140 years and my family were its stewards since 1955.

It wasn’t a grand or elegant house built by the wealthy. It was a modest two story that was meant to sleep its occupants during the summer months and not much more.

As far as I can tell, it is one of the last “untouched” houses left in the Grove. It wasn’t until 1985 that we installed a real toilet and sink where the indoor outhouse was (we already had running water, a kitchen, and a bathroom before this upstairs.) We knew that when we made the very hard decision to sell the house that it would most likely be upgraded by the new owner to suit their needs.

What we did not expect was a rough  gut job and a giant hole dug underneath it to make a basement. This was done without a foundation;  it was built on the dirt back then.

The house is now deemed structurally unsound.

So here we are today saying goodbye to a house that up until now has stood for nearly as long as Ocean Grove has existed. I debated on whether or not to come back and witness its last moments but work has dictated my decision not to. I always assumed that I could come back to the Grove and see my house but now I will have to settle for photos and memories.

I have always enjoyed your blog and I,  like many of us Grovers, found you online when Sandy hit to seek answers as to how we faired the storm.

The house is on the corner of Clark and New Jersey. You will know which one it is as soon as you see it. Thanks for reading Doc.

-Peter

Editor’s note. 2/5/24:

Here is a link from 2020 which addresses some related issues:

https://wp.me/pqmj2-xtV

It is sad to read Peter’s account.  Blogfinger was the first,  in 2010,  to worry about neglect of historic houses. It was Charles Layton, fellow editor, who really dug into this topic and aroused interest in it.

That’s when I learned about “demolition by neglect.”   In J’s piece above he mentions 2 old hotels which were to be restored, but they were allowed to deteriorate and finally the owner declared that they were hopelessly derelict. So he got permission from the town for demolition, and now we have giant condominiums at that location on the Pathway  within spitting distance of Stoke’s statue.

Actually, the CMA never showed much interest in historic restoration.  I was shocked after founding Blogfinger to learn that the CMA had no in-house historian.

After Charles Layton left Blogfinger,  I suggested to the HOA president that her group take on the job of protecting our old historic houses. She was insulted that I would dare suggest a job for them, so she said, “No.”

Later the HOA did appoint a Preservation Committee. The web site says,  “The Preservation Committee is committed to ensuring that appropriate action is taken against owners and lien-holders of derelict properties in Ocean Grove.”

So where were they when 104 Clark was slipping and sliding into oblivion?

THE BILL EVANS TRIO. “A House is not a Home” by Burt Bacharach.