LAMBERTVILLE: Old houses bring fame to community

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — The city is the best neighborhood in New Jersey for old houses, according to an announcement in This Old House magazine.
   Lambertville’s vast variety of architectural styles and its sense of community helped to highlight its attractiveness.
   ”After researching hundreds of cities, towns and neighborhoods throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, we’ve decided Lambertville deserves special recognition for its astonishing selection of great homes, and the community spirit that supports them,” the magazine announced in a letter to the city.
   This Old House’s 2011 list of best old-house neighborhoods includes 64 selections, one from each state, Canadian provinces and territories and Puerto Rico.
   ”I agree, it is probably the most desirable place in New Jersey, “ said Lambertville historian Lou Toboz.
   He noted the entire heart of the city — the oldest section that is located on flat land and surrounded by hills on the perimeter — is listed on the National Historic Register. Mr. Toboz lives in a restored 1887 Queen Anne at Coryell and George streets.
   ”I think it’s a wonderful acknowledgment,” said Mr. Toboz, a retired social worker who is a realtor with N.T. Callaway on Bridge Street. “When people think ‘history,’ they might not think of a very livable place to be,” yet Lambertville is both historic and livable.
   This Old House said it wanted to single out cities, towns or individual neighborhoods that deserve to be recognized, “places overflowing with beautiful, architecturally significant, or even, historic houses with special appeal to old-house-loving buyers. We also looked for places where people are happy to lend a helping hand on a neighbor’s home improvement project; where spur-of-the-moment porch parties are among residents’ favorite summer activities; where amenities, such as restaurants, hardware stores or hiking trails, are just a short walk or drive away, and where people come together for special events, whether it’s a holiday festival or a house tour; a 4th of July parade or a chilly night outside watching a local college or high school’s football game.”
   Lambertville resident Holly Havens, who also is a realtor with N.T. Callaway on Bridge St., submitted the nomination that drew editors’ attention. She wrote about the city’s “well-renowned bistros and restaurants, B&Bs and small hotels, unique shops and the fruit of resident artists and artisan galleries clustered in the central business district.”
   Ms. Havens, who lives in a North Union Street house that was built prior to 1910, said she believes the designation from This Old House would be beneficial for the city. “I absolutely do,” she said. “It’s good for Lambertville. I think it will help everything,” including tourism, business and real estate.
   Ms. Havens proudly highlighted the availability of outdoor activities with the city’s proximity to the Delaware and Raritan Canal and its towpath, the Delaware River and a rural countryside.
   She also spoke of the history: This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of James Wilson Marshall, whose boyhood home sits on Bridge Street and now houses the city’s historical society. His discovery of gold in 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in California sparked the feverish gold rush of 1849. He is related to signer of the Declaration of Independence.
   Lambertville and New Hope, across the river in Pennsylvania, also have extensive ties to the Revolutionary War era.
   ”A variety of residential and commercial architectural styles abound in this river city I call home,” Ms. Havens said. “They vary from the early 1800s Federal style, to the 19th and 20th centuries, which include Greek revival, Italian villa, gothic revival, English cottage, French second empire, inspired Queen Anne Victorians and many vernaculars. The three surrounding hills within the city limits offer cottages, craftsman-style bungalows and late 21st-century construction with attention to detail that serves the historical nature of the surrounding architecture.”
   The National Association of Realtors sponsored the 2011 Best Old-House Neighborhoods list.
   Prices of these historic homes in Lambertville vary depending on location, interior upgrades and improvements and parking availability. For example, a York Street row house that needs some work is on the market for $168,000. At the other end of the scale, a renovated four-square on North Union Street is listed at $1,895,000.
   Suzanne Gitomer, president of the Lambertville Historical Society, also was thrilled by the designation. The house tours run annually by the historical society often feature these historic homes.
   Ms. Gitomer and her husband have lived for four years in a house that was built along the canal in 1868. They moved to the city, she said, because they wanted to live in “more of a community,” and they also wanted an old home. They bought their Clinton Street house from a man who had grown up there and had lived there with his mother.
   Six of This Old House’s winners will be included in the magazine’s April issue, available at newsstands March 11. All of the winners can be viewed on the magazine’s website, www.thisoldhouse.com/best-places.