Centenary President's house
Does anyone know what's going on with the Centenary President's house that burned down a while back? Looked like they started to prep the area to rebuild and then it stalled. I haven't seen anyone working around there in many months.
JB400 
When the new President took over he mentioned in the newspaper interview that it was going to be rebuilt under his watch. I'm sure a lot has to do with insurance payment on the old structure (how much they received and how much more they had to possibly come up with) as well as having an architect bring the old design up to current code standards, as far as wiring and plumbing, taking contractors' bids and vetting them, etc. There was still equipment there May 11 when I took this picture and I know workers were still onsite for several weeks after that. I don't think a max of 3 months counts as "many" yet, though I'm sure for some it would be.
Perhaps "CentProf" or the new President will see the post and enlighten us on the stages of the rebuild and the timing involved. Personally I'd love to see the house rebuilt again. I've stopped by the site several times over the summer and it looked as though they were digging out an old drain that came out the side of the foundation wall. They may be pouring a slab as well as of course a new foundation on site, so I'm sure permitting and designs have to be cleared, etc. for everything.
Phil D. Phil, it sounds to me like you were beeping around. :)
Let me know next time and I will join you.
Josh Has anyone else seen the sunflower growing out of the rubble there all summer? It's the variety with branching stems and smaller flowers. The contrast of the flowers reaching for the sun against all that rubble would make a great pic.
hktownie LOL Josh, I wish I was. Actually I've always been a HUGE fan of the Victorian Era houses in town (or any town for that matter) when I first moved here in 1995. I'll often drive slowly or stop on the side of the road to take in a detail on a house, or if I see an architectural element or "gingerbreading" that I hadn't noticed before or some other thing that catches my eye. Obviously, only if there's no traffic or other vehicles. Of course that includes historic buildings, cemeteries, covered bridges, etc. as well.
The Presidents' House was such a great loss, not only because of its history as part of Centenary since 1945/6, but also because of its earlier history as part of the "country home" of Wheeler H. Peckham a NY lawyer (and Pres. of the NY State Bar) who became famous due to his prosecuting "Boss Tweed" in the Tammany Hall corruption scandal:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler_Hazard_Peckham
The house called "Brightstowe" (which is a term for "Bristol", as in England) was one of the first, if not THE first, built in "Millionaires' Row" aka the Normandy Heights section of Morris Township, circa 1890. After Peckham died on the train while on his way into his NYC offices, his widow sold the property and the house itself was sold to local hardware store and builder W.A. Hoffman who had it disassembled, numbered and shipped by train to Hackettstown, where it was rebuilt at that corner, with a segment of it going to build the smaller house next door to it, which was for his Mother-In-Law (if memory serves correctly). This was done circa 1915-1920 and the house was sold to Centenary in the 1940's as I mentioned before as a place of residence for each succeeding President of the college, though not all of them lived there. It served that purpose, as well as that of social gatherings for the college (and in the case of someone I know - for the housekeeper's baby shower).
After the fire, the house's history intrigued me enough (yes - I love history and houses/buildings, especially old ones) that I started researching its history in more depth and I really am intrigued about how the replacement will match the old structure. Since I worked for a while in my college years in house construction, I've kept an eye on the site, since I know there will be challenges, such as possibly running into old cisterns, etc. and it aroused my curiosity, so yes, peeking around, but no beeping around lol. The detector went with the ex, since she'd bought it.
Yes hktownie,
I noticed that last year as well, but I'm not sure if I got any pics then. I may have to drop by soon to take more.
Word I have from the president is that they are awaiting some permit approvals. Work should begin after that. House was fully insured so it will definitely be rebuilt. Exterior will look very similar to the old structure--interior will be renovated to be more visitor-friendly and more functional for the occupants. I will be working with the president's wife to include as many artifacts from the old house as we can in the new home.
Cent Prof Thanks Cent Prof - Great news! I'll be glad to see her resurrected, especially with some of the original mixed with the upgrades needed for more modern code and convenience!
That's great to hear. If anyone knows who is doing the building of it, I have had some work done on my home which is also in the "historic district". I have a guy who was able to replicate all of my molding. He does a great job with these specialty things. It would be great if they saved some old trim and replicate it.
Thanks JB. I'll pass that along. Unfortunately none of the wood debris could be salvaged from the fire, but we do have hundreds of photographs of the interior. I'm not sure precisely which direction the president and his wife want to go with the interior design, but she is very interested in preserving as much of the history of the old house as possible. I have seen the drawings of the outside--it will look almost identical to the old house. I think the neighbors will be very pleased. The old foundation had to be removed because of sinkholes in the back yard. A new, sturdier foundation will match the footprint of the old house. I must say that the town has been extremely cooperative in helping us bring back a very good reproduction of what had been a much beloved home in Hackettstown. As the college historian and a long-time faculty member, I was heartbroken when we lost it.
It was sad to see the wall mural in the front foyer get destroyed. It depicted a horse riding scene on the front lawn of the Seay Building, which was actually used for riding lessons in the 1930's and 40's. We have a smaller reproduction that was done by the artist, and I'm hoping it can be re-created.
I'll keep folks informed on this forum as the rebuilding progresses.
Looks like the construction is coming along nicely. I guess the current weather will delay slightly but I saw a solid poured concrete foundation, steal I-beams and a pretty sizable crew working there over the last month or so. Framing is in progress. Looks like they are doing this right and i can't wait to see the final result.
JB400
Thanks for that info! I'd been keeping track of the site, but figured they weren't going to start until the weather was a bit better for a longer period of time and I hadn't been by that corner lately. I'll have to check out the progress now. It's interesting how they're going to rebuild it similarly to the old one, but with modern upgrades. Having worked in housing construction a bit during college I'm always interested in what manner of construction is being used, etc.
By the way, Friday March 24th, the calendar shows that the Centenary University Archivist Colleen Bain will give a lecture from 6:30-7:30 on the history of the house and the rebuilding plans for anyone interested. It will be held at the Hackettstown Free Public Library. For those not aware, that's the one on Church Street, next to the Hackettstown Historical Society, NOT the Northeast Branch of the Warren County library that's outside town on Rt. 46. It's several doors down from TOPO.
I have been photographing the progress of the rebuild and will continue to do so until completion. I spoke to some of the workers the other day, who were fascinated with the history of the old house. They needed to pour a completely new foundation for the house because a huge sinkhole developed behind the old house after the fire. The new house will have the same footprint.
I spoke to the mayor last week and thanked her for helping to clear the way so we could rebuild as soon as possible. When the weather improves, you should see some real progress.
I would highly recommend Colleen's lecture. Although I am officially the university historian, my very heavy teaching load prevents me from doing much archival research during the semester. Colleen and the rest of the the library staff have done an outstanding job of preserving and showcasing our history. I am in their debt.
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