ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—In Englewood, the past, apparently, is getting in the way of a local religious organization’s future.
In order to preserve the past, the Englewood Historical Society has begun fundraising efforts to raise a total of about $170,000 to move a historic structure—the Taylor-Bliss House—2 miles to unoccupied land on Liberty Street—donated to the city by a former historic preservation committee member, Eleanor Harvey, when she passed away.
The historic house was purchased in 2004 by the Community Synagogue of Englewood and Tenafly, and is located at the intersection of Engle Street and Hudson Avenue.
The nearly 150-year-old Taylor-Bliss House looks out of place now, completely surrounded by a new facility built for the community synagogue’s growing congregation.
So far, say historic preservation advocates, about $90,000 has been committed to the home’s relocation, including $66,000 from the synagogue—money initially set aside for the structure’s demolition.
$73K more for move
Advocates said they need to raise about $73,000 more to complete the move, which includes contracting for a modular basement to receive the structure.
Donations from a Korean church and another benefactor have been received to help move and preserve the church.
Officials from the Community Synagogue of Tenafly and Englewood, also known as Kehilat Kesher Center, or Kesher, held a meeting along with Mayor Michael Wildes in October 2019 to discuss options for moving the building and preserving it.
Wildes told Northern Valley Press Feb. 3 that he’s “prayerful that the community can come to terms” and find funding to help preserve the structure.
He said he’s hosted several meetings to try to resolve the matter and noted he’s “not giving up” and hopes funding can be raised from others interested in preserving a part of Englewood’s history.
Preservation advocates note the move was estimated to cost $129,000, which would include breaking the house into three pieces, and reassembling it on the Harvey property.
Another $40,000 is needed to prepare a modular basement in advance of the move to the Harvey property, said preservation officials.
A future city museum?
The estimates are at least six months old, said advocates, who strongly urge preservation of the unique historic building.
Preservationists hope to use the house as a museum, meeting place and showcase for historical artifacts, documents and displays.
Over the years, the growing Community Synagogue congregation built a larger facility around and behind the historic structure, which is no longer needed.
Preservation advocates believe the building should be protected from demolition but it may not be.
In 2012, the synagogue applied for a demolition permit but it was denied by the Englewood Planning Board.
One condition of the denial was the board required the synagogue to maintain the historic home and incorporate it into its facilities.
Synagogue’s priorities
Kesher’s immediate past president, Hilell Parness, who has been involved in over three years of discussion to move the historic structure, said the synagogue had pledged about $70,000 for the home’s relocation.
That money is still to be raised, Parness said.
Parness said he hoped to see more signs that progress in fundraising or relocation options is forthcoming from Englewood Historical Society at future meetings this year.
He declined to put a deadline on when Kesher might reapply for a possible permit to demolish the structure.
He said Kesher does not have the funds to convert or maintain the building.
“Our prime motivation is to do what’s best for the institution [synagogue],” he said.
Parness said now 250 Orthodox families have joined Kesher, from 35 families initially.
He said the new synagogue facilities surrounding Taylor-Bliss House comprise a sanctuary, social hall, and classrooms, which are rented out to a pre-school during the week.
If the historic home were removed, that would permit more open space for synagogue activities, family events, and religious celebrations, he said.
In addition to moving the house, Parness said the “city has to agree to receive it” since they own the property at 500 Liberty Road previously donated by Eleanor Harvey.
He said if funding for the move “could be in place, then the city could possibly address it” at a council meeting.
Parness thanked Wildes for his involvement in trying to resolve what can be done to save the structure given the conflicting needs of the synagogue and historical society.
If the home is moved, other future costs—likely to be hundreds of thousands of dollars—would be needed to continue historic refurbishing, maintenance, utilities, and operations as a historical museum.
Where those funds would come from was uncertain, said preservation officials.
‘An angel or two’
“What we need is for an angel or two or three to donate the difference, or preferably more to ensure that the outer envelope is weatherproof. If no angels or other sources of funds appear, the building is threatened with demolition,” said Will Lee, chair of the city’s historic advisory committee.
Lee said the Taylor-Bliss house is a Second Empire Victorian house, with three stories and a fourth floor tower, one of few homes to have such an architectural feature.
The house was built in 1876, and served as the home of Delos Bliss, a noted local banking executive, and his daughter, Ethel, a former national tennis champion in the early 1900s.
The house is notable for its eye-catching central tower and ornate exterior woodwork, making it unique among such historic structures, Lee said.
More discussion on future
In addition to moving the structure, future discussions are needed to determine who will help refurbish and maintain the structure after it’s relocated, said Lee.
Ideally, some funds would need to be raised from private sources for renovations and upkeep, he added.
Lee said Kesher is required to maintain the building based on agreements with the city Planning Board and needs permission to demolish it.
But the threat remains that the city might agree to let the building be demolished, he said.
“So the building remains in danger of destruction,” Lee noted.
Irmari Nacht, co-president of Englewood Historical Society, said when the synagogue bought the historic home, they knew it had a deed restriction preventing its demolition.
‘Buyer’s remorse’?
“Now as their congregation has grown, they are having ‘buyer’s remorse’ and want to tear it down,” emailed Nacht, when asked about efforts to move the historic home.
She said the house is “part of Englewood’s heritage. If moving doesn’t work, we hope that Kesher will be a good neighbor and find a way to maintain the building and make it the showplace it deserves,” said Nacht.
Nacht said since Kesher first applied to demolish the historic home in 2012 and was denied “it has suffered from benign neglect” including not being painted, heated minimally, and cited for fire department violations.
‘Revitalized and reused’
“Taylor-Bliss is a beautiful building, one of a few examples of Second Empire architecture in Bergen County, and could be creatively revitalized and reused. We have been working with Kesher and the city to make this happen, but it seems that the other parties are impatient to see the building gone,” said Nacht.
She called the Taylor-Bliss house “a visual reminder of Englewood’s historic heritage.”
“Once this unique structure is demolished, it is gone forever and can never be replaced,” said Nacht.