On Wednesday the City Council unanimously approved two resolutions that will allow continued restoration of the historic Apple Tree House/Van Wagenen House on Academy Street. The house is said to have had strategic importance during the Revolutionary War, and Gen. George Washington may have had a meeting under an apple tree there.
The city is considering using the house as a visitors’ center for tourists, among other uses.
New at-large Councilwoman Kalimah Ahmad was not present at the meeting, and thus did not vote on either resolution.
“This is one of the most important properties in the state of New Jersey.” – Joseph Harkins
________
This funding – which is unaffected by Gov. Christopher Christie’s proposed elimination of the UEZ program since the money will come the UEZ’s current fiscal year budget, and Christie’s changes would apply to the next fiscal year – will fund the completion of phase three of the restoration.
A second resolution extended the city’s professional service contract with Holt Morgan Russell Architects, the company doing the restoration.
Just last month supporters of the project had these same resolutions pulled from the council agenda fearing they might not get the votes needed for passage. Previously supporters had requested $800,000 in funding, a figure that was pared down in recent weeks.
Thus far, more than $3 million has already been spent on the restoration project. After the meeting Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano estimated that total renovations costs will likely reach about $4.2 million.
“This is one of the most important properties in the state of New Jersey,” said Joseph Harkins in comments to the City Council Wednesday night. “While [the] restoration is an expense, and despite the hardships imposed by current, temporary financial conditions, it is also our privilege and responsibility to protect and restore this property for the sake of future generations’ knowledge and respect for our origins.”
Harkins is a founding member of the George Washington Commemorative Society of Jersey City and the web master of a web site devoted to the preservation of Apple Tree House.
A legend in its own time
Located at 298 Academy St., south of the Journal Square area near Bergen Avenue, Apple Tree House – which is also known as the Van Wagenen House – is steeped in history, and legend.
The property was conveyed to Gerrit Gerritson, who later changed his last name to Van Wagenen, in 1688. During the Revolutionary War the house that was eventually built on the site was said to have strategic importance to Continental forces because of its high elevation and proximity to New York, a British stronghold.
Although no historical records prove it, there is some evidence that suggests that General George Washington and Major General Marquis de Lafayette met and had a meal under an apple tree at the Van Wagenen House in August 1780.
The house was owned by various private owners until 1995, according to New Jersey City University. That year the property was bestowed to Provident Savings Bank, which later sold it to Jersey City for historic preservation.
Since then the city has been trying to restore the property with UEZ money and grants from the Hudson County Open Space Fund and the New Jersey Historic Trust.
‘Everything for this building will cost more money’
While no one on the council questioned the historical importance of the Van Wagenen House, some wondered whether the UEZ money should be put to some other use and noted that historic sites are expensive to maintain long term. Others questioned whether the city should renovate a property that served no public purpose.
In recent weeks, however, the city’s Director of Cultural Affairs, Maryanne Kelleher, has clarified the city’s plans to use the restored Apple Tree House as a municipal visitors’ center for tourists and historical museum.
In addition, Jersey City’s Division of Cultural Affairs, which is currently based in City Hall, would move its offices to the Van Wagenen House after the restoration is completed.
“This is not a cheap undertaking to maintain for the long run,” Sottolano told the Reporter Wednesday night. The councilman is among those who had concerns about the costs associated with the restoration project. “If a brick falls out, or a door needs to be replaced, you can’t just get any brick or any door. This is a historical property. Everything for this building will cost more money.”
Sotolano said he ultimately agreed to support completion of the restoration only after a clear purpose for the site, post-renovation, was detailed.
“I wanted to know, what are we restoring it for? It’s only recently that we’ve had an end use for the house.”
The restoration is expected to be completed this spring.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.