EMERSON, N.J.—A pre-Revolutionary War historic home in Emerson—the DeBaun House, built in the 1770s—faces an uncertain future given several strikes against it including a recent flood that caused widespread damage and a recent architectural report that questions the building’s structural soundness.
Even more recent, the American Legion Post 269, which owns the building and 1.6-acre property it sits on, voted to give a thumbs-up to one option proposed by the Housing Authority of Bergen County: to disassemble the building and build a meeting place with three second-floor apartments for veterans in its place.
The meeting room could also be used by 14 disabled veterans living in the seven two-unit housing complexes on site, also built by the county housing authority.
Of its 19 members, eight American Legion members at September’s meeting voted for the option to dismantle and replace the historical structure.
No decision made
However, no final decision has been made and housing authority officials say other alternatives remain to be discussed between all parties involved in a final decision, including the Legion, authority and borough officials.
A final determination of what to do with the DeBaun House remains up in the air for now, though one Legion official says the local group would be more than willing to sell the historic structure to the borough for preservation.
However, costs to renovate and stabilize the building—due to an apparent cracked foundation and structural problems—have been estimated between $500,000 to $1 million or more.
A county housing official, John Biale, director of development, said following the Legion’s recent vote, the county housing authority and Legion need to meet with borough officials to discuss future options for the historic structure.
Although not listed on state or federal registers of historic places, the house is on Bergen County’s Historic Sites Survey and on the local list of historic sites. The building was not eligible for state or federal historic listing due to extensive alterations over the years.
American Legion Post 269 Commander John Hogan said unfortunately, based on a recent architectural report prepared by county housing authority, it appears the house is beyond repair.
Moreover, he said, it was never designated an official local historical site.
He said the borough, Legion and housing authority hope to meet soon to discuss the building’s fate. The three met previously this fall to explore options and will consider whether to move ahead with demolition or explore other possibilities.
“If the town comes up with the money, we would certainly go to contract with them. We have no objection to that but they’ve got to show interest in doing it,” said Hogan.
Another option, said Hogan, might be for the housing authority to build a meeting place and second-story affordable dwellings adjacent to the DeBaun House.
He said this would leave the DeBaun House intact for future preservation efforts and provide more veterans’ housing on site. Hogan said he might bring the idea up at a membership meeting within a few weeks for a vote.
Hogan said he would prefer the house be saved—including a beautiful mantle over the fireplace and hand-hewn beams—but if a final decision on the house’s fate will involve a more broader and complete public discussion.
In a worst-case scenario, Hogan said, the town would be given an opportunity to remove whatever historical features or aspects they wished to before demolition, if that’s the chosen path.
One Legion member and strong advocate for preservation, who did not attend the meeting where a vote was taken, said he was totally opposed to demolishing DeBaun and replacing it with a community room and more veterans’ affordable housing.
“Apparently there is a desire to destroy the Legion home, the old DeBaun house which is a pre-Revolutionary structure. I was told it cannot be saved. If Notre Dame Cathedral can be rebuilt, so can the DeBaun house. I believe it will be more expensive to tear down the old structure and then rebuild than to restore,” wrote Bill Wassmann to Pascack Press.
Wassmann is a former borough historian, serving for over three decades.
“The problem is the will to do it, and the will is missing in this town. It seems to be turning into a bedroom community for New York…Virtually all the old structures in Emerson have been destroyed, the DeBaun is the last. This has me angry,” wrote Wassmann.
He said the borough’s complaints it has no money for restoration do not appear to be true.
“We bought two properties within the last few years, where did that money come from? We talk about rebuilding or replacing the municipal building; if we can pay for that, why not for repairs to our oldest structure?” asked Wassmann.
“It appears to me that the governing body should be thinking about some positive action instead of simply giving up and destroying our heritage,” he wrote.
In 2014, the Legion leased the 1.6-acre property for $1 per year for 99 years to the county Housing Authority, which built seven separate buildings, each containing two affordable housing units, for rent to disabled veterans.
Initially, said Hogan at the time, the plan called for the Dutch-style DeBaun House to be restored and affordable housing for veterans to be built.
“We want to work with the town as much as we can, and we don’t want people to feel we are against the (Emerson) historical committee in any way, shape or form,” said Hogan.
He said the Legion no longer meets at the DeBaun house due to the building’s deteriorated condition and hasn’t met there in years.
“I’m a little bit of a historical buff myself and this hurts me as much as anyone else,” said Hogan, referring to the building’s dilapidated state.
He said the building has no working electricity “and something in the air that’s not right”—possibly mold from previous water problems.
“I would love to see it saved but that’s up to everyone involved. Right now, it’s structurally unsafe,” he added.
