State historic status could bring funds for restoration of facade

February 22, 2005

There they sat in 1779, the story goes, George Washington - leader of the Continental Army - and the Marquis de Lafayette, an enthusiastic young Frenchman who came to help the rebels fight for their independence, dining under an apple tree near Journal Square in Jersey City, discussing strategies to rout the British Army.

The last remaining structure on the grounds where these deliberations are said to have taken place is the Apple Tree House, at 298 Academy St., according to members of the Jersey City Historic Preservation Committee.

So 20 years ago, when members of the commission were contemplating where to lay a symbolic wreath to honor Washington around the time of his birthday, the Apple Tree House - in line to be designated a state historic landmark next month - was a natural choice.

So yesterday, Presidents Day, Edward Meehan, a past chairman of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, and a handful of others placed the annual red-rose wreath in front of the now dilapidated, roughly 260-year-old structure.

"I think it should be a museum, a meeting place, a show place and above all, an anchor for the redevelopment of Journal Square," said Meehan.

For Ron Russell, another member of the commission, the two-story house has personal importance.

"I used to live a few blocks from here and I used to hang out here as a kid," Russell said. "It is still an important building historically and architecturally - the stone construction, the basic style. You don't see this."

Mary Kay Jou, who lives across the street, was drawn to the brief ceremony when she saw strangers milling about in front of the fenced-off building, which although reinforced and cleaned-up on the inside, still has the outward appearance of a crumbling eyesore.

"My view is this beautiful house," Jou remarked sarcastically, "that no one has done anything with. This is a very historical place. It would be so important to do something (to preserve it)."

Erected around 1740, the Apple Tree House was the home of the Van Wagenen family, who were among the city's earliest European settlers.

Last operational as the Quinn Funeral Home, the house was left vacant in 1991, commission members said. Five years ago, with the help of a $1 million state Green Acres grant, the city purchased the property from Provident Bank.

During the administration of the late Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham, money was appropriated to shore up the foundation and roof of the building.

A hearing has been set for March 5 to determine if the house will be designated a state landmark, Meehan said. Hopeful that state designation as a historic site will bring in grants and other funding to restore the building, Meehan said he expected the building to be in much better shape next year.

Michael Ricciardone, an Italian immigrant and a member of the commission, said celebrating Washington and the history behind the house is important to him, precisely because he is a foreigner.

"The United States is my adopted country and I'm very proud of it," Ricciardone said. "History deserves to be preserved."

Paraphrasing a proverb, Ricciardone added: "You build a future on the foundation of the past."