Item #24
Thursday, January 17, 2002
By DEENA YELLIN
Staff Writer
NORWOOD -- In this land of suburban dreams, where ever-larger homes with aluminum siding seem to be taking over, a group of preservationists is trying to save a historic home from the bulldozer.
The Norwood Planning Board will examine a proposal tonight to determine whether a three-lot subdivision can replace a 90-year-old home on Summit Street.
The plan has touched off a dispute that has drawn in neighbors and preservationists who argue that the home should be saved as a monument to history and that new homes would destroy the neighborhood's character.
But many local officials say their hands are tied.
"The owner can take it down and we have no control over it," said Mayor Gus D'Ercole, who sits on the nine-member Planning Board.
The home was built in 1911 by the Pallman family of Weehawken who first came to Norwood during the summers and then decided to build their permanent residence here along with other homes the family sold.
The white house with the front porch, tall white pillars, and red roof is situated on a woodsy 1.8-acre piece of land next to The Church of the Holy Communion, which was built in 1888.
"It's a grand old house, and they want to demolish it so they can put up huge, three-story McMansions," said David Elling, a Summit Street resident. "This is being forced on the town. They want to turn the master plan into a Monopoly board."
But David Watkins, the attorney representing the homeowner, Joseph Cacici, said that "it's his property. He has the right according to the state to demolish the home. We are not here to satisfy the neighbors. They just want to preserve open space that belongs to somebody else."
As for the preservationists' desire to maintain the home, he added, "My grandmother is old, too, but that doesn't make her historic."
Watkins, who has been representing homeowners in similar cases for more than 20 years, said that there has been an increased demand for his services over the past five years because of demographic trends.
"There's a lot of young people who want to come into the area, and people who own the homes recognize that they have a valuable asset and want to maximize their asset," he said.
In several towns, officials have made efforts to discourage, if not prohibit, demolition of historic homes. Among towns that have made efforts at historic preservation are Tenafly, Teaneck, Leonia, and Closter, said Will Lee, the chairman of the Englewood Historical Preservation Advisory Committee.
The Pallman case has led to calls for protection in Norwood. "I want to have an ordinance in place because otherwise, anything they want to tear down, they will tear down," said Councilman Mike Clancy, adding that he will introduce a proposal at next month's council meeting.
Councilman Tom Brizzolara, who also sits on the Planning Board, also saw a need for new legislation. "We should take a look at creating historic zones or some type of review board to deal with similar situations," he said.
Barbara Shaw, who has lived in Norwood since 1925 when her parents purchased their Summit Street home from the Pallmans, remembers the family well. She recalled that fruit trees once grew on their property and the family raised chickens and sheep.
"They purchased a large tract of property around here and had houses built on it. They wanted to populate this side of town. They really helped the town grow," Shaw said.
She has fond memories of the grand old home where the Pallmans lived and which remained in their family until a few years ago, when Cacici purchased it. According to a book about local history compiled in 1976, the Pallmans purchased eight acres on Summit Street in 1911 and developed much of the street. Their daughter Louise eventually married in the house and lived there with her husband, George Vossler, who was active in Norwood as a member of the council, school board, and American Legion, according to the book. Their son, George Vossler Jr., still lives in town.
Cacici approached the board last May with a plan for two homes on the site, but the application was rejected 8-1 because commissioners felt the width of the new lot lines along the street would have been too narrow. The new plan, which involves building a cul-de-sac, is meant to address that concern.
Now some fear the Planning Board may have no choice but to approve the plan.
Anne Barnun says that over the years she has observed other old homes demolished to make way for developments. "It's a shame. We should really fight it," she said. "Do we want every town to look alike? Our kids and our grandkids will have no idea what our town once looked like."
Staff Writer Deena Yellin's e-mail address is yellin@northjersey.com