Preservation New Jersey, a Trenton-based organization that compiles an annual listing of what it deems to be the state’s "10 most endangered historic sites," has included the borough’s Morris-Saltar-Hartshorne-Tredwell House (as it is formally known) on this year’s list.

"The list is a call to action for sites that are imminently threatened," believes Preservation New Jersey’s Executive Director Pat Pizzini Huizing. But, according to Huizing, her organization’s role is that of "catalyst" and has no legal standing or authority.

"We’re here to build awareness," she said.

Local organizations submit nominations for sites they believe are of historical value and are in danger of being lost; a six-member committee decides which 10 are to be placed on the yearly list, Huizing said.

"The Rumson site is representative of a lot of sites around New Jersey which are threatened by development pressure," acknowledged Huizing.

The Tredwell House is located on the six-acre Holly Farm, 16 Ridge Road, and was constructed around 1711. It is currently owned by Rumson residents Arthur and Leslie Parent, who purchased the property last April. It has been the center of controversy since the Parents proposed razing the almost 300-year-old structure and subdividing the property into four approximately 1 1/2 acre lots for development.

The owners have since acquiesced on their original position and would like to move the older portion of the structure to one of the proposed four lots where it would be made into a home again.

This concession, however, has not placated the critics.

Gail Hunton, principal historic preservation specialist for the Monmouth County Park System, said she believes that the inclusion of the Tredwell House on this list is a "sounding of the alarm."

"This sends a signal to us in Monmouth County that we have something special here," she said.

Hunton also contends that moving the structure is not the best option. Historical preservationists do not place a high regard on moving properties, alleging that the historical integrity would be compromised by moving it, she said.

"What would be lost when the building is moved? Everything," Hunton said.

For Mary Lou Strong, a member of Preserve Rumson, a group of about 20 residents opposed to the development, moving the building would be "like chopping its legs off," she said. Strong also cites the likelihood of Native- American artifacts located on the property and the damage that might be done to them by moving the building.

"It’s an insult to the house," she said.

Brian Doherty, attorney for the Parents, points out that it is not the house that is the subject of the application, but the subdivision.

"There are certain historic preservation factions in town who would like it to be about the house," he said. "However, the application we have submitted is about the subdivision."

In fact, the idea of moving a portion of the house to one of the future lots, instead of razing it, came out of a workshop discussion with the board prior to official hearings. Doherty said Parent changed his plans at the suggestion of the Planning Board.

The Planning Board is scheduled to discuss the Tredwell House application again on April 11.