Three township sites expected to be historic landmarks

Ordinance hearings set Dec. 11

By John Tredrea
   The Mt. Rose General Store, Andrew Titus House and Samuel Moore Sr. House have been proposed for official designation as historic Hopewell Township landmarks.
   The full Township Committee on Monday unanimously introduced proposed enabling ordinances for the designations.
   All three measures come with the recommendation of the township Historic Sites Preservation Commission and are scheduled for public hearings and adoption votes at the Dec. 11 committee meeting.
   Before then, the township Planning Board will review the three proposed ordinances and respond to them in writing. The designation of all three sites as historic is supported by their owners, officials said.
   The Mt. Rose General Store site, 1.2 acres in size, is at the northeast corner of the intersection of Carter and Cherry Valley roads. This intersection is the center of the small Mt. Rose neighborhood. The main building is used as an office by architect Max Hayden, who currently lives in the house on the southwest corner of the intersection.
   Historic Sites Commission member David Blackwell said Monday that the building, originally used as a general store, dates to around 1830. The structure "portrays the growth of small villages, anchored by stores, as it occurred after 1800 in Hopewell Township."
   Mr. Blackwell, who is an architect and former member of the township Planning Board, said Mt. Rose was a thriving commercial area in the early 19th century. "Mt. Rose took off around 1820," he said. "It was a local business center with a hotel, stores and a distillery, among other things."
   The Andrew Titus House, on 6.7 acres at 11 Cedar Lane in the Titusville section of the township, is owned and occupied by township police Chief George Meyer, his wife JoAnn Meyer and their three daughters. The house was built around 1760. The proposed ordinance states in part that the house "represents a house plan particular to the 1750-1770 period with a blending of details in Dutch and English house types."
   The house sits on a small knoll, with the stone spring house still standing by a stream at the foot of the knoll forming a scene "that retains a historic character," the measure states.
   The Samuel Moore Sr. House, the home of Lars and Moira Nilsson, is at 56 E. Curlis Ave. on 1.2 acres near Pennington. Built circa 1750-1770, it "is a composite of several architectural ideas that represent Dutch-influenced architecture in the first half of the 18th century," the proposed ordinance states, adding that Samuel Moore was "a man active in the civic and religious leadership of Hopewell Township."
   The three property owners currently are not eligible for any grants or loans to improve their homes. But, there is a proposal now before the state Legislature to provide such grants, according to Pamela Crabtree, chairwoman of the township’s Historic Sites Preservation Commission.
   Dr. Crabtree said the owners may do anything they want to the interiors of their houses without notifying the commission at all. However, significant changes to the exterior — changing windows or doors or adding a porch, for example — would require owners to consult with the commission, which has written design guidelines on these matters.
   "Using those guidelines, we’d work with them to provide the most appropriate way to accomplish what they want to do," Dr. Crabtree noted.
   Mr. Blackwell said Tuesday that "the only support like that (grants or loans) that I’m aware of is for income-producing properties at the federal level."
   About making changes to structures like these, he said: "The goal of the Historic Preservation Commission is to help owners preserve what is truly historic. Preservation law supports the interest the public has in maintaining historic structures even though they’re privately owned.
   "Houses that are designated as historic landmarks in Hopewell Township do require a certificate of appropriateness to be issued by the Preservation Commission as part of the building permit process. This gives us an opportunity to encourage owners to sit down with us so that we can advise them on how to make changes that don’t destroy the historic fabric of their building.
   "We invite anyone with an historic building to use us for advice for design ideas and material selection. In fact we have a free, award-winning publication, ‘Hopewell Township Design Guidelines,’ available at the Municipal Building for anyone interested," Mr. Blackwell concluded.