HILLSBOROUGH: 200-year-old wagonhouse being given new life

Farm shed on Route 206 will become community space

By Andrew Corselli, Staff Writer
   A township property that has been standing probably since the early 1800s is getting a new life.
   The Ditmars-Polhemus Farmstead wagon house, located at 706 Route 206 in front of Walgreen’s pharmacy, is being restored by Wayne Baruch and Artisans Group LLC. The work will convert what once was a corn shed, wagonhouse and even perhaps servants’ quarters into community space, said Mr. Baruch.
   ”Back in the 1700s, the Ditmars bought the property and developed it as a farm,” said architect Dennis Kowal. “The sons grew up and then split the plantation into two farms. This is the newer plantation. The other farm is across the street. Route 206 did not run through here (in those days).
   ”They owned this building for about 100 years. After that, Polhemus bought it for $4,000; he bought the whole farmstead. The next 100 years, from 1900 to now, it had multiple owners.”
   It is being restored because it is a “key building in our area describing a time and place of life,” according to Mr. Kowal. The project will cost between $80,000 and $100,000, and is being funded by Interstate Commercial Real Estate, according to Mr. Baruch.
   In 1983, during planning developments to Route 206, the Department of Transportation conducted an environmental study and categorized the building as a carriage house, Mr. Kowal said. Once the project, which has been in the works for over five years, is finished, the Planning Board specified the developers give it to the town for civic purposes, he added.
   Before Mr. Baruch could get started, Mr. Kowal and his team had to analyze the structure, come up with specifications, guidelines and building drawings for Mr. Baruch’s team to work with, Mr. Baruch said. After that stage is complete, the workers will disassemble the shed while keeping as much of the antique hardware as possible. Most of the wood is being stripped of lead paint and will be reused in the restoration.
   Mr. Baruch said he told the township the project will be finished in eight to 10 weeks.
   ”This is probably tied for the oldest (structure) I’ve worked on,” Mr. Baruch said. “It’s got soul; unlike these multi-tens-of-thousand-dollar kitchens that people put in their homes, people worked it with their hands.”
   Once the job is finished, Mr. Baruch suggested the property could be used for educational purposes, especially in woodworking.
   ”My recommendation is it’s a great example of how to build a barn because all of the construction is exposed. I would put some educational plaques around and also use it for field trips teaching the construction types and how people lived and worked here in Hillsborough.”