Letter to Editor: SCCH Memeber Speaks Against Duke Mansion Demolition Plan in Hillsborough

Following is a letter that was sent to the Somerset County Cultural and Historical Commission’s (SCCH) Bob Bouwman, by SCCH Advisory Committee Member Marge Sullivan, regarding the demolition permit to demolish the Duke Mansion:

Dear Bob,

I was greatly perturbed to read the recent articles in the local papers that the Trustees of Duke Farms have a plan before the Hillsborough Preservation Commission to demolish the Duke Mansion in order to open an entrance to the former estate from the Nevius Street Bridge in Raritan. I am requesting that the Commissioners and Tom D’Amico, as County preservation planner express vehement disapproval of this action.

It is a bad move for several reasons that quickly come to mind.

1. Demolition of this structure to send most of the material to a landfill by an organization supposedly devoted to environmental preservation is a great irony.

2. The argument that an adaptive re-use for the structure cannot be imagined suggests a lack of creative thinking on the part of the Trustees. They already are discussing a conference center conversion for another structure on the property. A conference center will require amenities for attendees. Things like overnight accommodations, small meeting and party space, not to mention a dining facility that is more functional than the current small visitor’s Center. Can we expect in a few years, a request to build these accommodations on what is supposed to be an environmental preserve? Does that make sense? Why not make rehabbing of the existing structure an example of both conservation, wherever possible, and the retrofitting of more environmentally friendly materials in the house wherever possible? Partnerships with industry and government might well be possible and leverage the Trustees contribution, since they seem reluctant to fully fund a restoration.

3. The idea of making way for a new entrance at this location is also distasteful for a number of reasons. The original access to Duke’s property was always on Rt. 206. Constructing this new entrance may allow more direct access from Rt. 22, but it is historically inaccurate and will have the effect of routing traffic into the estate through the small town and neighborhoods of Raritan.

4. Finally, demolition of the Duke home is a mark of failed stewardship and a bad example to Somerset County towns, municipalities, and historic property owners. If Duke Charitable Trust, owner of such an important and unique property essentially allowed this structure to deteriorate all these years and is unwilling to go after state and federal preservation dollars for this effort, when they can easily provide matching funds, how can we possibly expect to promote the ideal of preservation to these other players?

Please do what you can to remind the Trustees that their mission of stewardship to this property includes certain notable physical structures on it that are a testimony to the history of the Duke property and our county.

Duke Farms is more than just a natural landscape. It was a vision for the property created by Doris Duke’s father and maintained at least for a time, by his daughter.

We already let them remove Duke’s Gardens. Preservation of some woodwork and fireplaces is too poor a representation of what the property was and still might be.

Thanks for pursuing this,

Marge Sullivan
SCCHC Advisory Committee Member

Somerville Borough Historic Advisory Committee.