Historic Haddonfield Building Slated For Redevelopment: Officials

HADDONFIELD, NJ – A historic building in Haddonfield that has sat vacant for years is slated to become four for-sale residential condo units following “extensive repairs,” according to borough officials.

Lullworth Hall, a Victorian-era family home built in 1886 by then-Haddonfield Electric Light and Power Company president Charles Mann, has been acquired for redevelopment as part of an escrow agreement with Haddonfield Development Group LLC. In fact, the historical significance of the home doesn’t stop at its Victorian architecture – the home was also the first in Haddonfield to tout electricity, according to a report from The Sun Papers.

The proposed redevelopment project includes a renovation of the existing property into three units inside the current building; the fourth condo is proposed as a single-unit carriage house-style structure with a garage and loft. The latter structure has yet to be built, the borough said.

The property, which currently sits on just over an acre, was previously acquired by the Bancroft School in 1919 and used as their administrative office, the borough added. In March 2022, requests for proposals to redevelop the historic building site were solicited, but commissioners did not receive any responses.

A listing agreement with Markeim Chalmers, Inc. was finally signed in September.

“What we were essentially looking for there was anybody with a proposal that is a creative and adaptive use of the space,” Haddonfield Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich told NJ Pen in August. “But we didn’t get anything … now the conversation is, do you list it with a broker?” she said. “Do you list it with an auction company? Because of the size and condition of the property, it’s a big undertaking.”

Bezich told the publication that the “ideal” scenario would include a 501c3 or conservancy group taking ownership of the property, adding that “the borough doesn’t have the pockets to make it a reality.”

Bianco Bezich didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lullworth Hall is protected by an historic easement, meaning the borough will voluntarily work to preserve the historic integrity of the property. The structure is also part of Haddonfield's historic district and is listed both on the State of New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.