Roosevelt Public School Tops 10 Endangered Historic Sites List

ROOSEVELT, NJ - The group Preservation New Jersey has released its annual list of the top 10 endangered historic sites in the Garden State. This year, the list includes buildings in Hoboken, New Brunswick, Fort Lee, Greenwich, Willingboro, South Orange and Cranford. Structures in three Monmouth County towns also made the list: Roosevelt, Rumson and Manalapan.

The group believes the listed sites will be demolished or could fall apart without careful planning.

Among them is the historic Roosevelt Public School. According to the group, a community called Jersey Homesteads (now known as Roosevelt) was established in 1933 by a New Deal initiative to provide relief for industrial workers and struggling farmers. Renowned architects Louis I. Kahn and Alfred Kastner designed the community and the school, and painter Ben Shahn completed a large mural in the school lobby depicting themes of Jewish immigration, the garment industry and labor movement, and the establishment of Jersey Homesteads as a model planned community for workers.

"It seems likely that insufficient funding for the district, due to the changing State school aid formula, will cause the school to close in the coming years," the group says.

The list is generated by nominations from the public. Selections for the list are then based on the following criteria:

• Historic significance and architectural integrity
• The critical nature of the threat identified
• The likelihood that inclusion on the list will have a positive impact on efforts to protect the resource

The list, now in its 25th year, aims to attract attention to the threatened buildings. Several challenges the historic properties face include neglect, deferred maintenance, low preservation funding and threats posed by redevelopment and new construction.

You can watch the full announcement below:

Related: Fundraising Effort Seeks To Preserve Historic Howell House

Other Monmouth County sites deemed to be at-risk include the Lauriston Estate in Rumson and the Derick Sutfin House at Monmouth Battlefield State Park.

You can view the full list with descriptions here.

With reporting by Caren Lissner.