DORIS to Continue Fight After Dukes Mansion is Demolished

Hillsborough, NJ -- A group pushing for the preservation of Doris Dukes Mansion plans to continue to fight even after the building is demolished.

“The decision by the appellate court judge did nothing to change our fight or the ruling by the supreme court,” David Brooks, the attorney for DORIS (Demolition of Residence Is Senseless) -- a group fighting the demolition, told Patch.

Judges in the Appellate and Supreme Courts both agreed to allow Dukes Farm Foundation to continue with the demolition of the unoccupied 65,000-square-foot mansion formerly owned by Doris Duke in order to make it more accessible to the public.

Supreme Court Justice Lee A. Solomon made the decision on Monday, while the appellate court judges made the decision on Friday.

Prior to those decisions, Brooks had filed a an emergent motion on March 6 to try and stop the demolition.

“The only reason we sought the ruling was to try to prevent the building from being demolished while our case moves forward,” Brooks said.

However, even with the mansion now being demolished, Brooks says DORIS will push forward with their appeal.

“We made it clear to the Duke Farms people that if we prevail at the end of the appellate process, we will be pushing court to order the Duke defendants to rebuild the mansion back to original specifications that it had, at their cost,” Brooks said.

The appeal will continue in court but may take six months to a year before anything is resolved on the issue.