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2018 Bergen County Historic Preservation Awards : The Dedicated Life honoring Ridgewood’s Isabella Altano, recipient 2018 Preservation Leadership Award, posthumously

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May 17,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, 2018 Bergen County Historic Preservation Awards – The Dedicated Life honoring Isabella Altano, recipient 2018 Preservation Leadership Award, posthumously. Isabella worked tirelessly to save the historic Zabriskie-Schedler Jersey Dutch framed house.

“Isabella Cirilli Altano, 63, Ridgewood, New Jersey. Born in Molfetta, Italy, she came to America in 1969 at 15, settling in Jersey City, where she met her future husband, Brian Altano. The couple has been married for 39 years. Isabella earned an A.A. from Bergen Community College (B.C.C.), a B.A. from Columbia University, and a Masters in Architecture from Pratt Institute. She practiced architecture in Bergen County, specializing in educational facilities and hospitals. She was also an adjunct professor of Design at B.C.C., where she taught for 20 years. An indefatigable community activist, she spearheaded the drive to preserve the Zabriskie Schedler House in Ridgewood and have a park constructed on the property. She was also on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Bergen County and a member of the Ridgewood Planning Board and the town’s historic commission.”