By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — The historic William Gulick House, located on the corner of Route 206 and Province Line Road, has once again escaped the wrecker’s ball.
The Historic Preservation Advisory Committee on Monday night denied a request by property owner CareOne Management LLC to knock down the white, three-story farmhouse that sits in front of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. campus.
The William Gulick House, which was built in 1855, is included on Lawrence Township’s list of historic properties. This means an application for demolition of the house has to be submitted to the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, which could approve, deny or postpone demolition.
By a 4-1 vote, the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee voted to deny permission to tear down the house. Committee members Joseph Como, Wolf Hul, Douglas Sargent and Alfredo Trevino voted to deny demolition. Committee Chairman Ed McDonald cast the lone dissenting vote.
Mr. McDonald said he was voting to demolish the house because anyone who entered the house would be at risk of injury. The house, which is at the entrance to Lawrence Township, has become an eyesore because of the owner’s neglect and it is in a dilapidated state of repair, he said, adding that it is a matter of “demolition by neglect.”
CareOne Management LLC and its predecessor, Lawrenceville Realty Co., which purchased the property in 1995, had sought permission to develop an assisted living facility on the property and to incorporate the historic house into that plan.
The application was denied by the Zoning Board of Adjustment, but following extensive court battles, CareOne received approval. CareOne, however, never followed through and the house has remained vacant.
At Monday night’s hearing, architect Matthew B. Jarmel, who was hired by CareOne Management LLC, attempted to make the case for demolishing the house, which has been vacant for more than 20 years. The house was boarded up several years ago, and a chain link fence was installed around the perimeter of the house last year.
Mr. Jarmel told the committee that he has been involved in historic preservation projects. He said he visited the William Gulick House property in July 2014, accompanied by a CareOne representative and a general contractor. The three men walked around outside the building and then went inside.
Outside, the siding is in need of paint and there are signs of rotting on the shingles and trim, Mr. Jarmel said. There are broken windows, and the brick front steps are in poor condition. There is a crack in one of the chimneys.
Inside the house, the floors are in fair condition, except for some areas where there are holes in the floorboards that have been covered by plywood, Mr. Jarmel said. There is peeling paint — presumed to be lead-based, because of the age of the house — on the plaster walls.
There is mold throughout the house, which likely was caused by rain that has leaked into the building through the roof, he said. It also appears that birds have been nesting in the building. There is the carcass of a large bird — presumed to be a turkey vulture — in one of the bedrooms, he said. There is also evidence of mice or rat infestation.
Mr. Jarmel also pointed to fire damage on the first floor, by the front door. He claimed it has created structural damage to the wall and floor framing below. Structural joists and girders located directly below that area show significant fire damage and are not capable of carrying any more weight.
Mr. Jarmel said the house has a “quaint architectural style” — it was built in the fashionable Italianate style in 1855, and remodeled to reflect the Colonial Revival style that was popular in the 1920s — but it would take a significant amount of money to make the house functional again.
At this point, the house is failing and “slowly coming down,” Mr. Jarmel said. It is not safe, and anyone who enters the house is at risk of injury. The house should be torn down, he said.
After Mr. Jarmel completed his report, committee member Alfredo Trevino — who is also an architect — challenged many of Mr. Jarmel’s comments. Architects are not licensed structural engineers, and they are not trained to assess mold, Mr. Trevino said. They design structures.
Mr. Jarmel acknowledged that a structural engineer had not visited the house. He said he could design the repairs to the house, but it would require taking down 95 percent of the house to fix it. The house is in bad shape, he said.
“Anything can be done (with enough money),” Mr. Jarmel said, but the cost of repairs would far exceed the value of the house.
When Mr. Trevino pointed to the overgrown vegetation and the overall neglect of the property, attorney Lori Grifa said her client, CareOne, has owned the property for about 15 years and had never been cited for those conditions by Lawrence Township.
This is not the first time that the William Gulick House has faced the prospect of demolition. CareOne attempted to demolish it in 2002 without obtaining the required demolition permit. Township officials obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent its demolition in Mercer County state Superior Court.
In 2013, CareOne submitted an application for a demolition permit to township officials and was advised to seek permission from the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. An application was never submitted to the committee.
The latest application to demolish the house was submitted to the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee earlier this year.
