CLOSTER, NJ—You’re invited to help celebrate one of Bergen County’s most remarkable and effective residents and leaders at “Sophie Heymann: Her Life and Legacy,” running Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12 from noon to 2 p.m. at Closter’s historic Harold Hess Lustron House, 421 Durie Ave.
The exhibit continues April 8 and May 13.
According to Jennifer Rothschild, chair of the Friends of the Lustron Committee and president of the Closter Historic Society, it’s by design that the tribute to this past Closter mayor (and so much more) opens during Women’s History Month.
Heymann, who passed at 93 in September 2022, led quite a life, Rothschild told Northern Valley Press on Feb. 28: starting out in Nuremberg, Germany; escaping the Nazis in 1933; spending several years in Dijon, France; and eventually settling in Closter.
We covered the news when Heymann passed, in part quoting Mayor John Glidden:
“Sophie, as many of you may know, voluntarily served the Borough of Closter for decades, inclusive of holding office as a three-term councilwoman and as a two-term mayor.”
He said, “Throughout the years, Sophie selflessly donated an incredible amount of time as an active member of numerous boards, commissions, committees and civic organizations. Her vitality and significant contributions for the betterment of Closter spearheaded many of the projects and amenities Closter’s residents enjoy today.”
Councilwoman Victoria Amitai said Heymann was able to “utilize her skills and knowledge in every way imaginable, cultivating a family of four children, cultivating MacBain Farm, cultivating the Borough of Closter and beyond.”
Rothschild added for Northern Valley Press, “She was a supporter of the nature center, the Closter trail system; she was involved in other things, including the League of Women Voters — so we’re honoring her life.”
Rothschild said every room in the historic Lustron House will reflect an aspect of Heymann’s inspiring story: the children’s room will reflect her childhood; the master bedroom will be about her family and marriage; the living room will be about her political and professional life.
There’ll be a wall devoted to how Heymann saved the Lustron House from demolition.
“We’re going to talk about her cooking and baking in the kitchen,” said Rothschild.
She said, “She was a big part of the community, involved in virtually every aspect of the community life of Closter and Bergen County.”
She said, “She was a member of the Republican Party … because she never forgave F.D.R. for not entering World War II sooner, to save families like hers.”
And she said, “We have a picture of her with [former New Jersey Gov.] Chris Christie on display in the Lustron House, and we have a map showing where she fled in Europe, and beautiful pictures from her childhood, then as a young adult, and then in Closter, with all the initiatives she was part of and led.”
Rothschild recalled that Heymann was active here right up to the end, when she took a bad fall at home.
“She was weeding gardens at MacBain Farm and showing up every month at the Lustron, usually in period dress,” she said.
Rothschild described Heymann as “an unbelievable force of nature. She used to walk to work about a mile, with a backpack. She would walk from her home to Borough Hall when she was mayor. She redecorated Borough Hall and sewed curtains for all the windows. You can still see some examples when you go there.”
She said she hopes visitors enjoy the exhibit. “It’s on every wall, and people really do love Sophie.”
‘Exceptional leadership’
In the narrative for Heymann’s nomination for her 2016 Bergen County Historic Preservation Award, Rothschild wrote that even before her tenure as a public figure in Closter, Heymann supported the restoration of the Dutch sandstone house where the Englewood Red Cross was headquartered while she was vice president of that organization in the early 1990s.
“Sophie Heymann has shown exceptional leadership in historic preservation throughout her seventeen years in office in Closter. She served nine years as a Councilwoman and eight years as mayor.
“It was during her tenure on the Council that Closter’s Historic Preservation Ordinance was written. Since that first ordinance was passed in 1998, the law was strengthened in 2001, and to date, 16 individual buildings and one historic district, consisting of 28 properties, have been designated in the Borough of Closter.
“Every designated site and district in Closter owes much of its success to the support of Sophie Heymann,” Rothschild said.
In addition to her role in providing Closter with the means to landmark its historic properties, said Rothschild, “Heymann has shown initiative and ingenuity in other ways to save historic sites and structures, and she has excelled in educating and involving the public in the celebration of Closter’s history.”