'Craziness' About Historic House In Ridgewood Needs To End, Mayor Said

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen said she is hoping to put concerns regarding the Zabriskie-Schedler House and Property to rest, and that she would no longer allow the "nonsense" to fly without a response.

"The kind of revisionist history and craziness about the Schedler House really needs to come to an end," Knudsen said at Wednesday's meeting.

At the Sept. 7 council meeting, she and village Manager Heather Mailander provided a long-awaited and much-requested update regarding restoration of the property, Patch reported.

Knudsen said at this week's meeting she had received multiple phone calls questioning the designation of the house as a historic property and suggesting that "somehow" the process of listing it in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places was done "in secret" or "behind closed doors."

Suggesting such a claim is "laughable," she said on Wednesday, adding that in 2017, the village authorized an archaeological investigation that determined eligibility for the National Registry.

She responded also to one resident's comments that the village was "kept in the dark" on project planning decisions, and that communications about plans for the property were not made widely available.

"Harvard Kennedy School of Government should use the Schedler project as a textbook example of municipal incompetence," the resident said, referring to what he suggested was a long-delayed, costly project.

The project, Knudsen said, is the result of the work of the Historic Preservation Commission and people who "really, deeply care about history and preserving the charming character of the village."

She added that she is proud of the project, and Ridgewood should also be, and assured residents that the project is moving forward.

"You should not be proud; you should be ashamed," the resident said.

The resident also cited safety concerns in regard to the split-rail fencing being used on the property, because children may be tempted to climb over or through it.

Knudsen said she believes the split-rail fence was a "great call," however.

"It looks beautiful, and is consistent with the essence of the time and era of the house," she said.

Councilwoman Lorraine Reynolds agreed, stating that the fence looks "fantastic" and "fits with the character" of the house and property.