HILLSBOROUGH: Roses greet demolition death knell 

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Members of the group trying to prevent the demolition of Doris Duke family estate in the northern part of the township brought roses last Thursday night — as if to a funeral — to the Historic Preservation Commission meeting.
The melodrama wasn’t entirely inappropriate, as the commission followed through with passage of the legal finding of fact and conclusions to enable the Duke Farms Foundation to proceed with a demolition permit request for the 65,000-square-foot, 150-year old, long-closed home of the aristocratic Duke family.
The Historic Preservation Commission voted, 6-1, on Oct. 15 to allow the demolition. Duke Farms has insisted the home is severely dilapidated, not historically or architecturally significant and with no place in the foundation’s long-term plan for the 2,700-acre estate, which is open free to the public as a place to teach sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The house has been shuttered since some time after Ms. Duke’s death in 1993. Wednesday, Oct. 28, was the anniversary of her death. Thus, the roses, which were left on a chair in the hall outside the courtroom as of Friday morning.
The group, which calls itself DORIS, for Demolition of Residence Is Senseless, circulates a hand-printed statement, which was signed by many but not presented to the commission.
It read: “Twenty-two years ago yesterday, our community lost a beloved patron, Doris Duke. In her honor tonight, we gather as the family she always longed for. We pay homage to her generosity kindness and lasting legacy. May her life continue to inspire people of all backgrounds and walks of life.”
Only the six yes votes from Oct. 15 were eligible to vote on the memorializing resolution, which passed, 6-0. Tim Stollery, the one dissenter, asked if two letters — one from New Jersey Preservation and another from the Cultural and Heritage Society of Somerset — he received in the mail the day after the decision, could be included in the record. He was told no, then recollections came to the conclusion the letters were in the record in one way or another. He wanted to make other comments, but was denied by Chairman Arnold Radi.
Michael Catania, executive director of Duke Farms, said outside the meeting that he was “very comfortable with the case we made” in justifying the demolition.
“We’re gratified, and as far as we are concerned, we’re ready to move forward,” he said.
Mr. Catania said asbestos removal at the former mansion has been completed and a contractor has been hired.
David Brook, a township resident serving as the attorney for the DORIS group, said there was likely going to be an appeal of the permit. He was unsure whether an objector had the right to appeal the preservation commission’s decision to the Board of Adjustment, or whether DORIS could appeal the granting of the building permit itself. He said courts want groups to exhaust all administrative remedies before coming to the judicial system, he said.
Two days earlier, Mr. Brooks asked the Township Committee to intervene formally or informally to at least seek a six-month moratorium to investigate other avenues.
He also suggested the township would benefit economically from a revitalization of the home.