BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — Three buildings considered important to local history could soon be demolished to make way for new housing.
The Union Chapel, the Grange and a former town hall building, all on the same Dunhams Corner Road site, are in the way of the development of approximately 15 homes.
While a building application has yet to be filed for the development, one local historian is pressing for the former church to be spared so it can be used as a memorial to those who served in World War II, while another would like to at least have a marker placed on the grounds indicating its rich history.
The proposal to develop the property comes from Marshall Weinermen, who has purchased the two parcels that make up the site from the Raritan Valley YMCA and the township.
Richard Walling, a local historian who serves on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, said he believes the development can be accommodated and the entities still preserved, but it will be up to the Planning Board to negotiate such a plan with the applicant.
The YMCA is moving to a larger facility on Tices Lane. The township decided also to sell its land and replace the Playhouse 22 theater, which is located on the site, at a proposed multi-use facility.
The Union Chapel and former town hall building date to around 1920, while the Grange is likely more than a century old, said Estelle Goldsmith, East Brunswick’s town historian. She said the grange was the meeting place of farmers who were part of the agrarian society of East Brunswick in its early days. The Grange building is still used by agricultural enthusiasts.
Walling said the developer could set the Grange aside as an “adaptive re-use” rather than demolish it. A re-use would mean it could be used as a residence, in the way that old churches are sometimes converted to residences.
The town hall is a simple, wooden structure that could be relocated on the property to make room for the homes, Walling said, noting that it has been moved before. The structure is currently being used by Playhouse 22.
The Union Chapel, built in 1924, is used by the YMCA. Rather than being demolished as part of the development, Walling would like to see it turned into a shrine for local residents who served in World War II.
Goldsmith said she would hope that the buildings could be preserved.
“They should be preserved so people realize the kind of society that was here before,” she said.
Since other plans are expected, however, Goldsmith said she has told officials that if the buildings are torn down, she would at least like a plaque placed on a stone or a sign put there to indicate its history.
Walling said the entire area is historic.
“The Dunhams Corner has been in public use since the early 1800s and is the geographic center of Middlesex County,” he said.
Walling said that keeping the chapel could be made part of the applicant’s open space obligation.
“The building can house artifacts, memorabilia, ephemera and other items related to both the military service of local residents and the quiet heroism of the home front,” said Walling, whose parents both served in World War II.
Township Council President David Stahl, who also sits on the Planning Board, said the town already has a veterans memorial at the municipal complex that is intended for local residents who fought in all wars. He noted that his father-in-law was permanently disabled due to his service in World War II, but said that any museum should honor all veterans, not just those who served in that war.
Walling said the church, which is visible from the road, also may have grave sites behind it, according to a 1981 U.S. geological survey map, though this has not been investigated.
He said there is still a “100 percent chance” of saving the buildings.
“I think all three are worthy of preservation,” he said. “That’s part of land use.”
Walling will hold a meeting Oct. 14 at VFW Post 133 on Cranbury Road to explore the idea of a World War II memorial. The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.