Manalapan House Tops 10 Endangered Historic Sites List

MANALAPAN, 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 Derick Sutfin House, which serves as the oldest building at Monmouth Battlefield State Park. According to Preservation New Jersey, the home (built in 1718) has witnessed some of the American Revolution’s most dramatic scenes, including the Battle of Monmouth. In fact, the home was caught in the crossfire of the biggest field artillery duel of the war and is cited by name in at least one account of the battle.

The group says: "It is in such a severely deteriorated condition that there have been discussions of abandoning the house to demolition by neglect so available funds can be used to maintain two nearby houses."

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 former Roosevelt Public School in Roosevelt and the Lauriston Estate in Rumson.

You can view the full list with descriptions here.

With reporting by Caren Lissner.