The Cranford Historical Society has put the finishing touches on the Hanson House which was painted in September. The Society was the fortunate recipient of a “Preserve Union County” Grant, dedicated to the stabilization and much needed repairs to the Hanson House. That grant was matched equally by a Cranford Historical Society endowment from the estate of long-time Trustee Ella Pethick Milius and by the Township of Cranford. Cranford Historical Society President, Margaret Gerlach is pleased to announce that the first phase of the stabilization and rehabilitation of the Hanson House has been completed. The second phase will begin in 2012 and will include the updating of the electrical system, repairing falling ceilings, interior painting and the installation of a new archivally correct HVAC system.
After the completion of a decade long restoration of the Crane-Phillips House Museum, Historical Society volunteers set their sights on the Hanson House, a well loved and much used community building. Over the past four years, the Hanson House has had two flat roofs repaired, the support columns in the basement replaced, much needed repairs to the upstairs bathroom, replacement of the two sets of outside steps including new railings, new flooring in the Historical Society Office and brand new windows. In addition, generous donations from local groups and individuals have helped pay for new flooring, ceiling lighting and a brand newstove in the kitchen.
The Hanson House is home to the Cranford Historical Society offices, archives, research library, artifacts collection and historic costume and military uniform collections. It is also the home to the Union County Historical Society office and library and the Hanson Park Conservancy office. In addition, the homelike interior provides meeting space for local civic organizations, including the Cranford Junior Woman’s Club, the Cranford Newcomers’ Club and the Cranford Jaycees.
In the 1990’s, the Hanson House began to show structural wear and tear. The Cranford Historical Society had maintained the interior cleanliness of the building and supervised its use for multiple civic meetings and events. But significant structural stabilization needed to be done. With the Preserve Union County grant and matching funds and guided by an historic architect’s plan, the Historical Society has continued to preserve the Hanson House as it stands today with its homelike character intact.
The Cranford Historical Society consulted with Historic Preservation Architect Jennifer Stark about the exterior color paint for the Hanson House. Ms. Stark suggested that the Hanson House should be painted to blend with its natural surroundings. This is compatible with the teachings of Victorian Architect, Andrew Jackson Downing, whose color scheme was used for the Crane-Phillips House Museum. Downing taught that house colors should blend with the colors of nature not contrast with them. He thought that “white houses are jarring to the natural landscape.” In his book, “Romantic Victorian Cottages and Suburban Homes,” Downing suggests “soft greens with accents of bright colors like the flowers in the fields.” The colors chosen by Jennifer Stark will complement existing historic structures, the Crane-Phillips House Museum and the Cranford Canoe Club as well as the many carefully preserved Victorian homes on Holly Street. To learn more, please visit their website at www.cranfordhistoricalsociety.com. Their email address is cranfordhistoricalsociety@verizon.net.
The Historical Society was founded in 1927 by a small group of Cranford citizens interested in preserving the unique history of this special place. Since its founding, the Society has been dedicated to the perpetuation of Cranford’s history by continuing to collect and document the town’s past as we now enter the 21st century. The collection today includes photographs, scrapbooks, glass negatives, furniture, tools, kitchen and farm implements, American Indian artifacts, books, letters and numerous other items related to Cranford and its citizens. Its costume collection continues to grow and flourish and is considered by many experts to be one of the finest collections in New Jersey. The Cranford Historical Society is also the caretaker of the Crane-Phillips House Museum which offers a rare glimpse of the life of a modest family in the Victorian Era of opulence. Permanent and changing exhibits, featuring items from the Society’s costume, tool and local history collections, are displayed.
The Hanson House, a Queen Anne Victorian single family residence, was originally constructed in the mid 1800’s. It was the longtime home and office of Dr. Carl Hanson, a pediatrician, who opened his office here in 1934 and over succeeding decades, provided care for hundreds of Cranford children. Dr. Hanson was a nationally recognized researcher in the field of strep throat. The Hansons lived in the house for more than forty years. The front parlor, dining room, main upstairs bedrooms and staircase are intact. It also houses a locally crafted residential Leet pipe organ built in place for the homeowners in the 1920’s.
In 1980, Hanson House was scheduled for imminent demolition. The Township of Cranford had acquired the property through Green Acres funding in 1978. Initially, there was a great deal of discussion over the structure’s future. According to an August 1992 Cranford Chronicle article: “A Hanson House Committee was formed to study possible uses of the property. The committee, which was made up of civic leaders, residents and government officials, considered moving the building, selling or renting it, tearing it down, or relocating municipal offices there. By a 17-5 vote, the committee chose to preserve the house for municipal office. But the governing body, by a 3-2 vote in August 1990, rejected a bond ordinance allocating $165,000 for the renovation of the house.”
Subsequently, many proposed uses for the Hanson House were suggested. In 1991, the Historical Society appealed to the Township for approval to use the house, using their own funds to maintain, upgrade and preserve the house. The Society would use the house mostly to store materials of historic nature and their growing costume collection. In addition, the house would also be available for use as a civic meeting hall. The Historical Society then entered into a long-term lease with the Township. From the outside, Hanson House remained, as it had always been, a rambling residential reminder of a bygone Victorian era. Within, it became a curious mixture of bustling civic meeting place, quiet research center and active historical archive repository. This mixed-use formula has functioned well for nineteen years. From Cranford Jaycees to Cranford Newcomer’s Club to Cranford Jr. Woman’s Club to the Cranford Historical Society, everyone has thrived within its environs.
