Editor’s note: Last week, Neptune Township decided to amend the Historic Preservation guidelines. It decided that, in certain circumstances, cement fiberboard siding could be used in place of wood on “key structures” in Ocean Grove. Which raises the question: What is a key structure?
Since the Historic Preservation Commission holds these “key” buildings to special standards of preservation, we asked the HPC to define this term. It is something all Grovers should know.
Here is the HPC’s answer:
The HPC’s guidelines state that key structures “include those dwellings originally constructed between the 1880s and 1910.” However, the HPC considers all structures built in Ocean Grove between 1869, the year our town was founded, and 1910 to be key.
To slightly complicate the issue, Neptune Township’s Master Plan contains a list, originally compiled by the group that applied for Ocean Grove’s designation as a state and national historic site, of what the group understood to be representative historic buildings in Ocean Grove. This list was included in their successful application, and it then became part of Neptune’s Master Plan. However, not all key structures, as defined by the HPC Guidelines, are on that Master Plan list.
Currently, when making decisions on applications before the Board, the HPC refers to the Master Plan list to determine whether a building has been designated as key. Historically speaking, however, all structures built in Ocean Grove between 1869 and 1910 are key structures.
The years between 1869 and 1910 are, architecturally, Ocean Grove’s period of greatest significance. Structures built during this time give Ocean Grove its unique sense of place and its historic character, and their preservation is central to the HPC’s mission.
[To read the HPC Guidelines, Click here and then scroll down a bit.]