Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Beersheba Award winner’ Category

Beersheba Awards 2011—One at a Time: 146 Broadway.

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, tagged on January 3, 2018| 2 Comments »

146 Broadway, Ocean Grove, NJ. September 2011. Paul Goldfinger photo.  Reposted Jan. 2018.

By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Editors  @Blogfinger.    We used to report on OG homeowners who did such wonderful renovations on old houses in the Grove that they received a Beersheba award for their efforts. It seems a shame not to repost some of those articles for the 2018 generation to enjoy:

 

Jennifer Kapp is a trained architect who works in New York City as a code and zoning consultant. When she and her husband Keith Smith bought their fixer-upper 1890 house at 146 Broadway in 2007, she was ready for the hassles and issues which she knew would occur as they embarked on their plans to restore their new home. She was actually looking forward to the project saying “This is something I love.” The couple live in New Brunswick, but Jennifer has always been attracted to the Grove and the beach, and Keith wanted to learn to surf. Both of them had worked together on their home in Middlesex County, so they were prepared for anything.

Before: Photo courtesy of Keith Smith

When they first saw their Broadway house, they knew that it was the one. “It felt like a great little home,” said Jennifer. “It had good bones.” The sellers said that the house was from 1905, but Keith found an 1890 newspaper in one of the walls. It turned out that 146 Broadway needed a lot of work, had a lot of surprises and required multiple visits to the HPC. Jennifer was determined to have a historic restoration, so she spent a great deal of time researching the project. Most of the downstairs was gutted by her contractor Brian Kenney as the home was converted from two family to one. The two-story enclosed porches were demolished. The whole front end was redesigned and reconstructed, right down to the foundation, up to the roof. The upper porch was eliminated. Mr. Kenney found some porch rails from another old OG house and used them. The columns were re-done, but they had the old ones for comparison. It is the front exterior work that earned Jennifer and Keith a Beersheba Award from the HSOG.

The porch roof design was Jennifer’s, but she had help from architect Cate Comeford. An entire interior wall downstairs was removed, opening up a good sized living room. All the windows on the first floor are original, but Jennifer is fanatical about properly re-doing them (“I could spend my life on the windows alone.”) The window locks are meticulously accurate reproductions that cost $45.00 each. She rolled her eyes over this expense, but she said, “I’m insane over these.” Currently Jennifer is stripping the original front door which, she says, is one of the largest single front doors in the Grove: four feet by eight feet. She is also proud of the fence in the rear. They had found a tangled mess of an old Victorian metal hoop fence in the back, so Jennifer designed a new wooden fence (below) incorporating pieces of the original metalwork into the design.

Jennifer Kapp and Keith Smith. April, 2012. PG photo

Jennifer and Keith come to their OG house every weekend. They love the OG experience, especially the friendly neighbors and “crazy encounters” with folks walking by the porch. Keith says, “We know half the town.” In season they entertain, play tennis and he surfs. In the off-season they spend a lot of time working on their house project. Their two semi-unruly rescue dogs are Roxy and Cooper.

Rear fence can be seen from three streets. A special fence was essential. HPC are fence fussers. PG photo

 

DIANA KRALL:

Read Full Post »

Beersheba Awards 2012— 26 Lake Avenue (Re-posted from August, 2012). The amazing fire survivor at the end of the devastated block .

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, Ocean Grove fire 3/3/17, Ocean Grove history, tagged , , on March 6, 2017| 4 Comments »

26 Lake Avenue. Ocean Grove, New Jersey

The article below is our original 2012 coverage of the amazing restoration of 26 Lake Avenue, located at Seaview, Lake, and Founder’s Park.  By a miracle, it was unscathed (as far as we know.)  But so many readers have been wondering about it since it appears in most of the videos and photographs from the 3/3/17 fire.  It reminds me of the Woody movie “Zelig.”

 

By Paul Goldfinger, editor @Blogfinger

When Brian Kenny, a master carpenter for thirty years, first saw the c. 1880’s house at 26 Lake Avenue, he observed that the building would need a “major ground-up restoration” of all three floors and that the historic house had great bones –“it was straight as an arrow.”

The building had experienced many alterations over the years, so there were major design challenges. The Beersheba Award presentation, written by Ocean Grove historian Jenny Shaffer, described the house as “quirky.” She said, “As is typical in Ocean Grove, 26 Lake had been altered over the years, and presented an odd, at times bewildering, mixture of forms and styles: it is a sort of Classical Revival meets Foursquare house with a Queen Anne-ish porch.”

The owner of 26 Lake, Peter Barbur, an attorney, had hired a San Francisco architect, Kurt Melander, with Victorian home-design experience, to draw up the plans. Those plans required that all materials be “eco-friendly.” In addition, every aspect had to be historically accurate (using old postcards and existing details for guidance), and every component had to be approved by submitting “shop drawings” to the architect. The concern for the environment transcended the entire restoration, which was just completed after 15 months of work.

Only the best materials were to be used, including clear vertical grained cedar siding, solid wood columns, hand-made moldings, special double-hung windows from Canada, FSC certified lumber from approved forests, copper flashings, “reclaimed” bluestone for the patio (from a cemetery walkway) and specially designed fireplaces for the reworking of the two originals.

Most of the wood features in the house were made by Brian Kenny in his shop in Asbury Park. He is very particular about the small details of his work. He uses only stainless steel fasteners, and all the wood is pre-treated. Kenny’s company has won Beershebas several times in the past, and he is the owner of the “Great Atlantic Porch Company.”

The heating and cooling of the house is provided by a super-efficient geothermal system that derives energy from under the ground. The owner loves to cook, so there is a raised herb garden on one side. On the other are large vegetable and flower planters which were hand made by Kenny. As we walked around the property, he ran his hand over a curved section of molding. He used special tools to mill the various segments that were made to match original details.

As he bent over to pick a weed, he looked around and said, “You know, we also installed a rainwater collection system. All the gutters and downspouts collect water which goes to two 3,500 gallon underground plastic tanks. A pump then provides irrigation to all the plants.”

Although the Beersheba Award was given for the outside, the interior, which we briefly saw, is spectacular and includes a large original stained glass window which is seen as one climbs a very beautiful staircase. You can see it from the outside, but the interior view (see photo below) shows all the colors.

The HPC was very happy with the result. Ms. Shaffer said, “The architects embraced and respected the building’s history. Moreover, they worked to discover lost aspects of this house through the detailed investigation of the visual resources available at the Historical Society.”

The two open porches and the enclosed one offer views of Wesley Lake and Founders Park. The Beersheba award calls 26 Lake “an imposing structure that once again anchors its corner, but, also, fortunately, has not lost the unique features that reflect its history of change.” We didn’t have the opportunity to speak to the owner, but he has to be thrilled with this yellow masterpiece with a red roof — now one of the great houses of Ocean Grove.

ANITA O’DAY  with a Duke Ellington tune which reminds me of the elegance of #26 Lake Avenue.

SLIDE SHOW: All photos by Paul Goldfinger. Run your cursor on the bottom to find a stop and go tool. Note that the gentleman on the 2nd floor porch is builder Brian Kenny.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Read Full Post »

Ocean Grove restoration, #11 Ocean Pathway, to receive a 2014 Preservation Award presented by the Monmouth County Historical Commission

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, Ocean Grove architecture, Ocean Grove feature article, Ocean Grove Historical Society, Ocean Grove history, Ocean Grove in the news, tagged , on May 7, 2014| 2 Comments »

#11 Ocean Pathway summer 2013. Compared to 2011 photos below, flower boxes and fretwork have been added. Amira photo.

#11 Ocean Pathway summer 2013. Compared to 2011 photos below, flower boxes and fretwork have been added. Amira photo. Click left to enlarge.

May  7, 2014.  Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

A Blogfinger exclusive.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

Gail Shaffer, President, Historical Society of Ocean Grove, received a letter today advising her of the award for #11 Ocean Pathway.  Gail had nominated the 1875 Victorian for the award and she was thrilled with the news—you could hear it in her excitement as she told Blogfinger of this very special commendation.

The official letter from the Monmouth County Historical Commission is dated May 5, 2014 and is signed by John Fabiano, Executive Director. In the letter, Mr. Fabiano referred to the house as a “careful restoration”

The award will be presented to the owners, Amira Yunis and Dudley Hancox along with their designer  Jay Cortese at the next Commission meeting on June 2nd. Fabiano also said, “How fortunate we are in Monmouth County to have such a wonderful example of a 19th century planned urban community in Ocean Grove. Your creative efforts to authentically resort your Victorian there while abiding by modern building standards and historic preservation design guidelines is commended. ”

In October 2011,  Blogfinger reported on this restoration which had received a Beersheba Award at that time.  Below is our article including a slide show.

 

By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger  (Oct, 2011 post)

When Amira Yunis and Dudley Hancox of New York City thought about a second home near the beach, their first reaction was “The Hamptons.” They had envisioned one of those beachy-weather-beaten cottages found at the Long Island shore, but then they visited a friend in Asbury Park who showed them 11 Ocean Pathway, a 5-bedroom house from 1871 with lots of potential. Even though, according to Amira, it looked “dark and dreary” and had many layers of wall paper and fabric on the walls, it also had numerous historic features including original windows. And, of course, there was the ocean and the peaceful low-stress atmosphere in the Grove. Amira and Dudley “fell in love” with the house. They purchased it three years ago.

They then embarked on a historically authentic restoration of the outside. After some initial contractor problems, they got together with Ocean Grove Victorian home design consultant Jay Cortese, and together, after an arduous three years, the finished product is spectacular.

Jay is a designer who is obsessive about historic accuracy. His goal was to take the house back from 1931, when it had been “colonialized,” to 1875 which was the date of a photograph that would be the gold standard for the project. He searched near and far for elements, both old and new,  such as chamfered columns,  pent roofs for the porches — with hand cut cedar shakes, bronze window screens and special rafter tails. He found “clues” under the 1930’s porch that enabled him to reproduce decorative cutouts with diamond “piercings.”  A big element involved changing the location of the front door from the side to the center. Jay designed the new double front doors  and replaced the old entrance with a window to match the original windows on the first floor.

Jay says that the secret to success in a situation like this is to find superior craftsmen. He singles out the master carpenter Carlos Correia, who Jay says is “one of the rare few blessed with the creative abilities necessary to work on old buildings.”

Amira loved the color purple, while Jay preferred shades of green, so those colors were chosen. She  is from Minnesota, while Dudley is from England. They come down every summer weekend with their four children.

Much of their time is spent on the new porch. The couple say that they feel very much at home in Ocean Grove. They are taking advantage  of the “Asbury Connection” and they have made new “wonderful” friends in the Grove.

SLIDE SHOW from 2011: 11 OCEAN PATHWAY   (click at the bottom to reveal a control where you can stop the photos for a closer look)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

SOUNDTRACK:  To restore an old house in Ocean Grove has meaning which transcends just making a home look good.  It is a reaching back in time to try to imagine what it was like nearly 140 years ago.  It is a form of time travel to revisit a special place.   And so it has something in common with any effort to bring history back to life.

That’s what Bruce Springsteen did when he recorded this song in his album “We Shall Overcome—-the Seeger Sessions.”  His musicians used authentic period instruments.  Shenandoah was first published in 1876 as part of a collection of Sailors’ Songs.  —-PG

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN:  To bring up the music player, click on comments below.  Then use the back arrow to get back here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Beersheba Awards 2012—One at a Time: 37 Atlantic Avenue

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, tagged on July 25, 2012| 3 Comments »

37 Atlantic Avenue: Winner of a Homeowner Beersheba Award. Photo by Paul Goldfinger. Click left for larger view; then back arrow.

By Paul Goldfinger

Michelangelo Cappabianca (“all A’s”) and Tom Nero are from Short Hills, New Jersey, but before they purchased their Ocean Grove get-away home, they had been vacationing in Belmar and Asbury Park for many years. However, in 2003, when they decided to buy a “beach house,” those two communities did not seem to be quite right. They wanted a quiet, beautiful second home where they could relax year round.

They came into the Grove to see what they could find, and they saw the c. 1870 house at 37 Atlantic Avenue, sitting on the corner opposite Founder’s Park. It needed a lot of work, but they looked around and said, “It’s heaven.” It is  a small place with porches all around and up and down. They saw the beautiful park, and to the right, was Wesley Lake. The most important element that captured their imagination was “the location.” They knew very little about the town, however they didn’t need to know.  This was “it.”   The house was under contract, but they would not be denied — they would pay whatever was necessary.

According to the Historical Society/HPC presentation at the Beersheba Awards ceremony, “37 Atlantic is a standout: an essentially intact, nineteenth-century cottage.” *  When the reconstruction began, the goal was to preserve as much of the original components as possible. The result was a “true restoration of this gem, carried out beautifully by the Sullivan Brothers.”*

The HSOG description said, “Remarkably, the original porch structure and decoration remain….every single piece of this delicate ensemble was painstakingly removed, restored , and reassembled.”*

Jim Sullivan  told us that the porch was a complicated and difficult job. Just the craftsmanship required to save the 120 decorative vertical “panels” necessitated a “massive” amount of time to do the dipping, stripping, sanding, priming and painting.

There were many other elements and obstacles, but in the end “this meticulous restoration puts the spotlight on a typical—though now rare—example of Ocean Grove’s early vernacular architecture.”*

As far as Michel and Tom are concerned, they couldn’t be happier. They love to sit on the porches facing the park, catch the breezes, and enjoy the people happening by. When they want exciting fun, they go to Asbury Park, but they also enjoy the events in the Grove such as the Great Auditorium Saturday night shows.

Their wish is to see the historic fountain in the park restored. A fund has already been set up by the HSOG, but these two homeowners plan to organize a spectacular fundraiser to give the project a boost—details to be announced.

* Many thanks to Jenny Shaffer of the HPC/HSOG for her quotes above. She presented the Homeowner Award to the owners of this very special historic house.

Read Full Post »

Beersheba Awards 2012—One at a Time: 37 Atlantic Avenue

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, tagged on July 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

37 Atlantic Avenue: Winner of a Homeowner Beersheba Award. Photo by Paul Goldfinger. Click left for larger view; then back arrow.

By Paul Goldfinger

Michelangelo Cappabianca (“all A’s”) and Tom Nero are from Short Hills, New Jersey, but before they purchased their Ocean Grove get-away home, they had been vacationing in Belmar and Asbury Park for many years. However, in 2003, when they decided to buy a “beach house,” those two communities did not seem to be quite right. They wanted a quiet, beautiful second home where they could relax year round.

They came into the Grove to see what they could find, and they saw the c. 1870 house at 37 Atlantic Avenue, sitting on the corner opposite Founder’s Park. It needed a lot of work, but they looked around and said, “It’s heaven.” It is a small place with porches all around and up and down. They saw the beautiful park, and to the right, was Wesley Lake. The most important element that captured their imagination was “the location.” They knew very little about the town, however they didn’t need to know. This was “it.” The house was under contract, but they would not be denied — they would pay whatever was necessary.

According to the Historical Society/HPC presentation at the Beersheba Awards ceremony, “37 Atlantic is a standout: an essentially intact, nineteenth-century cottage.” * When the reconstruction began, the goal was to preserve as much of the original components as possible. The result was a “true restoration of this gem, carried out beautifully by the Sullivan Brothers.”*

The HSOG description said, “Remarkably, the original porch structure and decoration remain….every single piece of this delicate ensemble was painstakingly removed, restored , and reassembled.”*

Jim Sullivan told us that the porch was a complicated and difficult job. Just the craftsmanship required to save the 120 decorative vertical “panels” necessitated a “massive” amount of time to do the dipping, stripping, sanding, priming and painting.

There were many other elements and obstacles, but in the end “this meticulous restoration puts the spotlight on a typical—though now rare—example of Ocean Grove’s early vernacular architecture.”*

As far as Michel and Tom are concerned, they couldn’t be happier. They love to sit on the porches facing the park, catch the breezes, and enjoy the people happening by. When they want exciting fun, they go to Asbury Park, but they also enjoy the events in the Grove such as the Great Auditorium Saturday night shows.

Their wish is to see the historic fountain in the park restored. A fund has already been set up by the HSOG, but these two homeowners plan to organize a spectacular fundraiser to give the project a boost—details to be announced.

* Many thanks to Jenny Shaffer of the HPC/HSOG for her quotes above. She presented the Homeowner Award to the owners of this very special historic house.

Read Full Post »

Beersheba Awards 2012—One at a Time: 30 Bath Avenue

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, tagged on July 16, 2012| 5 Comments »

30 Bath Avenue—Front view, facing north. Marthe Derrico on the porch. All photos by Paul Goldfinger.

By Paul Goldfinger and Eileen Goldfinger (house and garden editor @Blogfinger)

On March 13, 2010, Marthe (pr. Martha) Derrico was at her winter home in Florida. She received a phone call which would change everything. She learned that her Victorian “bungalow” at 30 Bath Avenue in Ocean Grove had been destroyed in the devastating Manchester Inn fire. Marthe had been coming to Ocean Grove since the 1950’s and she had purchased her home in 1980. It had been featured in the book Victorian Homes of Ocean Grove. The fire also took away many mementoes as well as numerous antiques and objects that she had acquired from her mother and grandmother.

First the debris was removed, and then Marthe went through the planning process for new house construction.  This involved heading down a difficult road which included design, HPC approvals, permits, Neptune Township regulations, and discussions with the neighbors.

The project had a unique technical issue:  the lot is very narrow—only 18 feet wide.  It had been created in the past out of slivers of land derived from hotels on either side.  Since you cannot have windows on the sides of a house unless you are 3 ft., 1 inch from the property line, Marthe was faced with the dilemma of choosing either windows to catch the breezes and provide light,  or no windows in order to give her maximum width inside.

West side of the structure. Note the inset windows.

According to the Beersheba award document, “Thanks to architect Cate Comerford and contractor John Case, an ingenious solution was found: inset the windows but not the walls.” (See photos). The award also mentioned the ‘two perfectly proportioned porches,’ ‘cut shakes, which add ‘texture,’ and a  ‘low front-facing gable to improve the roof line.'”

“This lovely new cottage is in no way overshadowed by its large neighbors and attests to the fact ‘that less is more.'”  Marthe’s Beersheba Award was one of two given in the category of “new construction.”

Inside, the house is really beautiful and cozy. It is similar to the “shotgun houses” in New Orleans and in other parts of southern USA, but not as small. It is narrow, but it doesn’t feel cramped. The 1,800 square feet, the dining room table that opens at each end, and the three bedrooms make it a fine place for grandchildren to visit. Marthe also has a full basement.

First floor view looking back. Note that the window insets cause some loss of space inside, but the air and the light more than make up for it.

The house was finished in June 2011, and Marthe and her husband have resumed their active Ocean Grove life style. She keeps busy volunteering with the Lady’s Auxiliary, playing tennis and “going to everything” happening in town. She especially enjoys sitting on her comfortable second floor porch where she likes to read. Even on very hot days, Marthe doesn’t turn on her central air. She doesn’t like being closed in. She opens all the windows and doors, and we got to experience the “summer wind” blowing right through—priceless!

Marthe doesn’t complain, but construction has been going on around her since 2010 and will probably continue for several more years. So far three houses from the fire have been rebuilt from scratch—two on Bath and one (also a Beersheba winner) on Ocean Pathway. There are two more under construction on the Pathway, and one lot is still bare.

It is noteworthy to observe that this large piece of  prime OG real-estate is being redeveloped with private homes and not condos.

View on the north side of Ocean Pathway. Note the 2 houses under construction in the foreground. The blue house to the left (#31 OP) is also a Beersheba winner. You can see Marthe’s house in the green color and another completed house east of Marthe’s on Bath.

Read Full Post »

Beersheba Awards 2011. One at a Time: 107 Central Avenue.

Posted in Beersheba Award winner, tagged on September 26, 2011| 2 Comments »

By Paul Goldfinger, editor  @Blogfinger

Mr. Thomas Freund, a 46-year-old heating and cooling contractor, has been coming to Ocean Grove  since he was 13 years old. His father has been the proprietor of the Quaker Inn since 1979.  Tom  was already the owner of two homes in the Grove when he spotted 107 Central Avenue five years ago.  He loved the potential of the property which has a driveway with garage and a prime location on the corner with Clark Avenue facing Fletcher Lake.  He saw that it would be his “dream house.” He learned that the original owners were members of the Scott Paper Towels family, although he is unsure of the date of construction.

107 Central Avenue at Clark: corner angle view. Paul Goldfinger photos.

Tom saw that renovations would be needed, but he felt confident because the structure had “good bones.”   The outside was clad in aluminum, and the 2nd and 3rd floor porches were gone.  Tom said,  “It looked very 1970’s, with lots of linoleum and Formica. It was very dated, but the wrong date.”  Tom  had an old photo of the house in its prime (see below)  and he wanted to take it back to the early 1900’s.

Mr. Jay Cortese of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove made the presentation at the Beersheba awards dinner, and he spoke about how “the original cedar clapboards were revealed, restored and replaced when necessary.” He said, “The building’s rich colors of gold, deep red and cream are reflective of the deep, muted tones preferred by homeowners in the 1880’s and are instrumental in bringing this home back to it’s original elegant state.” He also mentioned the “Juliet balcony” on the 3rd floor, Clark Ave. side.

107 Central Ave. c. 1910-1920. Note the car on Clark (? model T Ford helps date the image). Courtesy Tom Freund.  Note that Blogfinger has cleverly placed the before after the after, but it looks better this way.

The restoration was designed by Cate Comeford and built by Jack Green.

According to Tom, the inside needs a great deal of work. “We have a long way to go,” he said.

RINGO STARR  “Photograph.”

Read Full Post »

%d bloggers like this: