Some on the council expressed concern Wednesday night with a recent grant awarded to the borough to preserve the Stream House, a century-old Oakland building that has over the years visibly deteriorated.
The county awarded a grant of over $44,000 to Oakland and the Ramapough Conservancy, which leases the property where the Van Allen House and Stream House are located, for restoration work to the two buildings.
The Van Allen House will receive $16,200 of the award, and the Stream House is allocated $28,200.
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Councilman Pat Pignatelli said at a meeting Wednesday night that he had understood no money would be invested into the Stream House, which he would like to see torn down.
“It’s my opinion the Stream House needs to come down,” he said. “If we keep pumping money into this Stream House, it’s not going to come down. It’s a blight on the community.”
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Mayor Linda Schwager said that the two buildings were inseparable in the grant application to the county. The Van Allen House is on the state’s register of historic sites.
Pignatelli argued that the latter “detracts from the beauty of the Van Allen House.”
The grants still require formal acceptance from the borough, and councilwoman Elizabeth Stagg suggested the council vote to accept the money for the Van Allen House only.
According to the Oakland Historical Society, the Stream House was constructed in 1902 as an office for wealthy dairy farmer and one-time Oakland mayor Edward Page. After his death, the building’s first floor served as the borough’s first public library.