5 Historic Homes, Buildings Awarded By Long Valley Commission

LONG VALLEY, NJ — The Washington Township Historic Preservation Commission is celebrating five local homes and buildings around town that deserve a round of applause with its 2023 Historic Preservation Awards.

Since at least 1990, the Washington Township Historic Preservation Commission has given out awards on a yearly basis.

They are made in May, according to Eileen Stokes, the commission's chairman, because May is National Historic Preservation Month. At the Township Committee meeting on May 15, Stokes and Patrick Murphy of the Commission announced this year's winners.

The award recipients receive a congratulatory letter, a certificate, and an award sign on their property for the duration of the summer, which will be collected after Labor Day.

One of the Commission's objectives is to educate and promote best practices in historic preservation. Recognizing the community's local property owners is also a way to commemorate National Historic Preservation Month in May, Stokes said.

This year, the commission is honoring the following people:

• 4 E. Mill, the former Long Valley Firehouse, and currently John Winters' Valley Automotive Center:
  • Winters has owned the property for over 20 years. The property, built of stucco over concrete block and located inches from the road and close to the river, was in rough shape. Winters is known for being a good neighbor and improving aesthetics, as well as restoring the original windows on the second floor, which once served as the fire company's meeting room. Long Valley Fire Company No.1 gave the number 36 to Boy Scout Troop 36, the town's first troop, which met in that hall. Winters is the property's second-generation owner, and his father ran his business on the property despite not owning the building.
• 9 Fairview Avenue, Louis and Honey Luckhardt:
  • Since its construction, the Bunn family has owned the property for several generations. Honey Luckhardt identifies as a Bunn, Stokes said. The house was built around 1900 and has been owned by multiple generations of the Bunn family. It is located on land purchased from Lydia Ann Weise around 1895. In December 1749, her husband's ancestors purchased the 262 acres that comprise the German Valley District. The property has been recognized for good stewardship as well as recent accurate front porch restoration and drainage improvements.
• 11 Fairview Avenue, Lebensfreude d/b/a Alstede Farms
  • Kurt Alstede was out of town, so his daughter, Rebeka Alstede, and Kyle Holman, their marketing manager, accepted the award, Stokes said. Little is known about the building's early history, but it was storm-damaged and uninhabited for many years. The Alstedes are being recognized for rescuing and repurposing the building.
• 36 Schooley's Mountain Road, Robert and Miriam Dumbrill:
  • This property was Dr. Walter J. Kossmann's former home and office. Dr. Kossmann was the school physician as well as the local general practitioner for many years, Stokes said. The house was heavily altered by the Kossmanns in 1937, and it sat empty for many years after Doc died in the 1980s. The Dumbrills have since made the decision to restore the house to its pre-Kossmann appearance. It is currently under construction, but it is nearing completion, and they hope to move in soon, Stokes said. Cindy Boerner-Lay, a local architect, reverse-engineered the changes back to the original style using the 1937 plans discovered in the house.
• 18 Pleasant Grove Road, Craig and Madeline Heard:
  • Since 1902, when William J. Davis purchased the property, it has been known as Idle Hour. William J. Davis of Harrison purchased it as a summer retreat for his mother, Emma Louise Davis. It had previously served as a private residence, a tavern, and a boarding house. The oldest section was built in the 1700s. When Davis' descendants sold the property in 2012, the Heards bought it and converted it back to a combination residence and business. The award was given for the restoration of the stone pillars and front wall, which featured the iconic stone "soldiers" standing on edge.