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Nominate Cape May Point to National Register?

 

By Jack Fichter

CAPE MAY POINT — Professor David Ames of the University of Delaware’s Center for History, Architecture and Design presented the results of his survey of historic buildings in the borough Aug. 23 to a moderate-sized audience at the fire hall meeting room.
A question for residents to decide: Would it be possible to nominate the entire borough to the National Register of Historic Places?
Another question is how to protect the vernacular beach cottages (everyday homes of no particular architectural style) from “unsympathetic rehabilitation and demolition.”
The borough has many non-descript cottages.
Ames said 298 buildings were constructed in the borough between 1860 and 1960 with 75 percent built in the 20th Century and 25 percent constructed in the 19th Century.
Ames said 95 homes or 32 percent are recognizable architectural styles such as Queen Anne or Gothic, but 190 or 64 percent are the “ the no-style, style” vernacular beach cottages.
He said in 1986, an earlier historic home survey was undertaken by George Thomas, who recommended against a borough-wide historic district. Since that time, a number of buildings have reached 50 years old possibly making them of historic value, he said.
“Vernacular architecture itself has become more recognized,” said Ames.
The vernacular cottages are most vulnerable to sales and tear downs, said Ames. He said good records have not been kept as to when they were built.
The vernacular cottages have challenges to their future existence:
* Rising land value, that makes the land worth more than the house.
* Population changes from aging owners and incoming baby boomer property owners.
Ames said many of the vernacular cottages were “lightly built, small for contemporary needs and probably nearing the end of their physical life.”
Ames suggested conducting an oral history to find out more information on them. The vernacular cottages represent the change in American architecture from Victorian cottages to a more open plan, Craftsman style architecture, he said.
Thomas had recommended creating three historic districts: the Sea Grove district along Cape Avenue extending west along Emerald Avenue, the Shoreham (Hotel) district and the camp meeting district.
Ames said a question is how unique is Cape May Point on the Jersey coast in terms of being a middle income resort area compared to other towns. He said residents should ask what is Cape May Point and what are they preserving.
Ames suggested the borough prepare a preservation plan and forecast how the town will look five or 10 years.
Ames said rather than creating an historic district in the borough, it could map the preservation potential of the land and come up with strategies for each area. He said applying for National Register status may help the borough develop a preservation plan.
“We’d have to build a case for the significance of the bungalows, I’m not worried about the high end stuff,” said Ames.
He said in order to qualify for the state or National Register of Historic Places a building must be over 50 years old, retain its physical integrity and look like it did when it was built or doing its period of significance. It must meet one of these four criteria for the register:
* Association with events that have made significant contribution to the broad patterns of history such as the religious camp meetings in the Point.
* Association with persons significant with the past such as President Benjamin Harrison and John Wanamaker’s ties to the Point.
* Design and construction embodies significant characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction that represents the work of a master, such as the Cape May Point’s Victorian beach houses.
* Represents significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction such as the borough’s vernacular cottages/bungalows.
Ames said he would not make a recommendation of whether the borough should seek National Register nomination or not.
“My conclusion is it is feasible to do a nomination and that you qualify for a nomination with the caveats that I mentioned,” he said.
Commissioner Anita Van Heeswyk asked residents to tell the commissioners their thoughts on National Register nomination. She said the borough’s planning board would discuss the historic home survey.
Ames said the borough’s current master plan was influenced by an 1875 plan for Sea Grove that laid out narrow streets in a grid emanating from Pavilion circle.” Ames called that plan “the fabric that holds the community together.”

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