DECEMBER 15, 2015, 9:11 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015, 10:18 PM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
ORADELL — Supporters of the historic Blauvelt Mansion breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday night after Mayor Joseph Murray, Jr. announced that the property’s owner, CareOne, would not apply for a demolition permit before the end of the year.
“Mayor-elect [Dianne] Didio and I met with people from CareOne yesterday and they have agreed to continue dialogue with Mayor Didio to find a mutually satisfactory resolution and hopefully to preserve the mansion,” he said. “That conversation will probably commence in January.”
Murray’s statement at least temporarily quelled widespread fears that CareOne, one of the state’s largest nursing home operators, was planning to demolish the 1890s-era structure. Built in the Shingle Style by the architect Fred Wesley Wentworth, who would become most famous for his role in reconstructing Paterson after fire destroyed large portions of the city in 1902, the great house sits like a castle at the top of a sprawling lawn bordering Kinderkamack Road and has become a beloved landmark for many Bergen County residents.
