Preservation Red Bank
to present annual awards
BY GLORIA STRAVELLI
Staff Writer
GLORIA STRAVELLI Above, the Hertlers’ restored Victorian residence on Reckless Place has been recognized by Preservation Red Bank. Liberty Hose Company (at right), White Street, is one of the firehouses included in a study that examined possible renovations to the borough’s vintage firehouses.
RED BANK — Three of the borough’s century-old firehouses and a restored Victorian residence have been recognized by Preservation Red Bank.
PRB’s fifth annual awards ceremony, which was canceled due to last weekend’s snowstorm, has been rescheduled for Jan. 10. The ceremony was to be held at the White Homestead on South Street, the borough’s oldest structure.
Three vintage firehouses that are home to companies of the Red Bank Volunteer Fire Department have been recognized with preservation awards in the nonresidential category. The firehouses, which are slated for restoration, are located on Mechanic and White streets and Drummond Place.
The three firehouses are the Relief Engine Company on Drummond Place, Liberty Hose Company on White Street and Independent Engine Company on Mechanic Street.
In the residential category, the Beverly and Carl Hertler residence at 57 Reckless Place won a preservation award.
According to Red Bank Fire Commissioner Pasquale Menna, all three firehouses recognized are borough owned. Relief Engine Company is more than 100 years old, making it the oldest of the three houses, he said. The others date to early in the 20th century.
According to Menna, the borough has commissioned a preliminary architectural study of all of the borough’s facilities, including its six vintage firehouses, by Kellenyi Associates, Red Bank. The three other vintage firehouses are privately owned properties.
The study, Menna said, looked at upgrading the buildings to keep them functional. Upgrades to Relief Engine Company, which is attached to the historic former Red Bank Police station building, will be carried out in conjunction with the rehabilitation of the Children’s Cultural Center, which will be housed there.
GLORIA STRAVELLI The borough’s Relief Engine Company (above) on Drummond Place is more than 100 years old. This firehouse (left) on Mechanic Street is home to Independent Engine Company of the Red Bank Volunteer Fire Department.
The Hertlers acquired the 2 1/2 story Victorian in 1967, according to Carl Hertler, who said the structure is currently close to 135 years old.
The couple undertook a major renovation that included upgrades to the plumbing and electrical systems. The exterior of the house, covered by wood clapboard and three styles of hand cut cedar shingles, was stripped and repainted, he added. Since that time, alterations have added a kitchen/den extension on the rear and enclosing a side porch.
PRB also recognized Assemblyman Michael Arnone for his part in helping to preserve the Anthony Reckless estate at 164 Broad St., the clubhouse of the Woman’s Club of Red Bank
"He is a quiet preservationist," explained Mary Gilligan, a PRB trustee. "For many years he worked to preserve the woman’s club when the house was in danger from developers. He worked to have it placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The award is long overdue in recognition of his efforts."
Red Bank Councilman John Curley, a member of the Red Bank Historic Preservation Commission, was honored for "his enthusiastic support of preservation."
The late Drew Horgan, a former PRB member, was honored posthumously for "his unflagging dedication and spirited counsel in maintaining the historic fabric of Red Bank."
For 2003, two Gatekeepers Awards were awarded to Horgan and to George Bowden for "his dual role as chairman of the Red Bank Historic Preservation Commission and PRB trustee."