Mansion's uncertain future raises concern

BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

MICHAEL ACKER The former Whitehead homestead has stood at 124 Main St. for more than 100 years. The nearby Tabernacle Baptist Church might demolish the structure if it cannot come up with the funds to restore the building. SOUTH RIVER - A historic mansion may be at risk of being demolished if funds are not raised to preserve the structure.

The Victorian Queen Anne-style house at 124 Main St. is believed to date back to the 1880s, according to South River Historical Preservation Society President Richard Meyers. The vacant structure is owned by the Tabernacle Baptist Church, whose officials are trying to determine what to do about the building.

The church acquired the property about 15 years ago and used it for youth group functions and Sunday school until last year, when an engineer deemed the building's structure as unsafe, according to Pastor Charles Johnson, who has been with Tabernacle Baptist Church for the past nine years.

Johnson said the church's Board of Trustees has been discussing what to do about the mansion, and though demolition is an option, that course of action would not happen any time in the near future.

"Bulldozing is a way's off," he said. "It was a suggestion one of the board members made and it was talked about, but there has been no decision made to do anything. Nobody would like to see that building go down, but the cost is a good half million dollars to restore the building. We do not have that kind of money."

Johnson said that there are other options that the congregation is considering, and he noted, he will talk with town officials about the building.

"The biggest problem is the money issue," Johnson said. "We are a congregation of 130 people. We are not big enough to restore the building, so we are looking at any and all options. Nobody would like to see it go down."

Johnson said the congregation has considered fixing up the building for use as a single-family home, but at over $300,000, this would still cost too much. Restoring the building for its historical value would cost even more, he added.

South River Historical Preservation Society member Ken Roginski was brought in to discuss the options that the congregation could pursue with the board of trustees, which researches the church's options and relays the facts to the congregation.

Roginski said that the home has several unique features, but its most prominent is the turret with the witch's hat on top of the roof.

"The building has been neglected for a while," Roginski said, "and it got to a point that the church brought an engineer in who said that no one should be in this structure. There are certainly issues, but their engineer does not work with historical preservation, so he is taking a different look at it with a different way of thinking. I am trying to get a historical architect to look into this with historic eyes to see what can be done to save this building."

Roginski, who grew up in South River and moved to Freehold 10 years ago, said the house was traditionally used as a

residence, but that it can be adapted to fit the needs of the church.

Grants are available from the New Jersey Historic Trust for these purposes, Roginski said, adding, however, that, since the application deadline was March 1, the church would have to apply next year.

"Grants are competitive, but it is a good possibility," he said.

Roginski said it would take three months to get the application approved and six months to get the money, which would be provided through matching funds where the state would pay 60 percent of the expenses and the church would pay 40 percent.

"I think 60 percent is a fair deal and the other 40 percent could be done through some sort of fundraising. Churches are best at that."

The house's status as the former Whitehead homestead would be a significant contributing factor for the home to be listed on the state historical registry, Roginski said.

"The house is an asset to South River. It should be treated as such. If they think outside the box, they could lease out the building, and the church could make money and an old building would get new life," he said.

The borough has lost many historical buildings that he said would have qualified for the historical registry. In fact, Roginski cited the old Tabernacle Church at the corner of Main and Jackson streets that is now an empty lot as another example of a historic property being lost. It was demolished in the late 1990s due to safety concerns.

But Johnson said the building had to be taken down because rain had gotten inside, buckling the wood floors, destroying the electric system and creating large holes in the structure.

"We never wanted to take down the old sanctuary building," Johnson said. "But it would have cost a million dollars to restore. That is out of the question. Unless there is some kind of windfall, we do not have those kinds of resources. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place, but we are open to all options. Something has got to be done. The board is trying to save this building."

Roginski said he fears the community will lose the historic mansion, which stands prominently at the top of the hill on Main Street.

"To lose this landmark building would be a shame," Roginski said. "We are losing the charm of Main Street."