Moorestown is trying again to establish a historic preservation district

As a grassroots group campaigns to save a long-vacant Moorestown mansion, the Township Council is revisiting the creation of a municipal historic district in the heart of the community.

The Saving Historic Moorestown organization is concerned that the seven-bedroom, five-bath, nearly 4,800-square-foot house at 334 Chester Ave. could become another “teardown” casualty of the township’s in-demand real estate market, said Julie Maravich, the nonprofit’s president.

“It’s very surprising that Moorestown doesn’t have a historic preservation ordinance like many other towns in the area do,” said Kimberly Bunn, an architect who is a trustee of the group. “We’ve lost a number of [historically significant] homes over the last 20 years.”

In South Jersey, the central business and residential area of Haddonfield is a historic district. So are downtown Pitman and Woodbury and Burlington City.

Built as a single-family home in the late 1880s and most recently used as a funeral parlor until about three years ago, the Chester Avenue property is listed for sale at $750,000. Matt Hopkins, one of the business partners who own the property, declined to comment but indicated he is working with Saving Historic Moorestown to find a buyer.

The organization aims to raise approximately $80,000, including a $40,000 contribution from Maravich herself, to ensure that 334 Chester is not razed. The funds would compensate a buyer who accepts a preservation easement on the exterior “envelope” of the Queen Anne-style building, as well as on its 1.5-acre lot, in perpetuity.

Separately, the township has launched a public process to establish a historic preservation district along a largely commercial stretch of Main Street, as well as along a mixed commercial and residential stretch of Chester Avenue where the mansion is located.

A Historic Preservation Community Workshop is set for Wednesday at the municipal building and will be accessible online as well. Setting up the district will require the Township Council to hold a public hearing and approve an ordinance to create a historic preservation commission comprising local residents.

“We started working on this over a year ago,” said Mayor Nicole Gillespie, adding that a $200,000 state planning grant has enabled the township “to hire professionals to come up with design standards in a public process,” such as Wednesday’s workshop.

Gillespie also said the council doesn’t intend to impose unrealistic or expensive standards for painting, window replacement, or other routine maintenance activities on properties within the proposed district.

“The goals are to make it as easy as possible for residents and to respect the rights of property owners,” she said.

With protection against demolition or alteration of historic structures, council member Susan Mammarella said, “people will be able to count on the stability of a neighborhood, of how it looks, and if it changes, it will change in a way that is in keeping with the neighborhood. Right now, they don’t have that feeling.”

With 17th-century roots and eclectic abundance of vintage homes and commercial buildings, Moorestown — with a population of 21,577 ― did have much of its downtown included on the national and state registers of historic places more than 30 years ago.

But such listings “don’t protect against demolition,” said Dorothy Guzzo, vice president of Saving Historic Moorestown and the retired executive director of the New Jersey Historic Trust.

“The only way to protect a property is by creating a historic preservation commission in a town,” she said.

So Moorestown is embarking on its third effort in 25 years to establish a historic district. The previous attempts either were voted down or derailed by legal challenges. Opponents said the efforts were government overreach that infringed upon the rights of homeowners and businesspeople to follow their individual taste, not that of township appointees.

“Moorestown tried to do this years ago, and after it went down in flames, people were reluctant to try again,” said Lenny Wagner, president of the Moorestown Historical Society.

The possibility of losing 334 Chester Ave. “has been like a wake-up call,” he said. “People are realizing that buildings like it could be at risk if nothing is done to protect them.”

Steven Smolyn, an architect on a team of consultants working on the design standards for the township, said a local historic district and preservation ordinance are necessary to “ensure Moorestown’s collection of historic buildings dating back to the late 1600s are preserved for future generations.”

The potential district would be within the boundaries of the national and state districts and would include about 150 buildings. There are 417 on the other registers.

Gillespie also said the Township Council would consider “declaring the district an area in need of rehabilitation,” a statutory designation that can provide grant funds for “old places with old infrastructure.”

On a gloomy afternoon last week outside 334 Chester Ave., azaleas and rhododendrons were in bloom along the house’s wraparound front porch. It was designed by Philadelphia architects Wilson & Wilson for grocery merchant John Perkins and his wife, Minnie.

Among those taking a look at the property were John Benson and Gia Ozdemir, who earlier this year opened French Press, a coffee and pastry shop on Main Street.

They live above the shop and said they liked what they saw inside 334 Chester.

“It embodies everything about Moorestown,” said Ozdemir, a designer.

“Incredibly impressive,” said Benson, a Realtor.

Maravich, who’s been a member of the Moorestown Historical Society for 25 years, said 334 Chester is in generally good shape for a house of its age.

“It has really good bones. It was built by an engineer, so it isn’t going anywhere,” she said. “This front porch is saying, ‘Come sit here and watch the world go by.’ It’s just a question of finding the right buyer.”