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Editor's Notepad

You Could Save a Historic Prison

By Rob Wotzak

This 1873 Brownstone needs a new home or it will be lost forever!

A friend of mine who is passionate about saving old buildings just wrote me about the impending loss of this old stone prison in New Jersey:


Slated for demolition within the next several weeks, we have the opportunity to save this wonderful, unique example of well-crafted 19th century architecture if we can find a buyer for all or part of it.  It can be removed and reassembled for adaptive re-use or materials can be used in a new design.  For more information visit restotechnj.com/stone .
 
Please pass this along to anyone who may be interested so that we may save the historic structure.

 

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  1. Dreamcatcher | Nov 08, 2010 07:57am | #1

    Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth saving and I really don't see anything "unique" about that building. Nice materials but who in their right mind would shell out the tens of thousands it would take to relocate that building?

    Even as a professional carpenter and building designer, my position is to not care at all if a building is demolished. While I would like to see the materials re-used if possible, I could care less about the "historic and architectural importance" of a building no matter what went down there, how beautiful it is, or who designed it. Buildings are just buildings... we'll make more.

    DC

  2. mdsunc29 | Nov 03, 2011 02:48pm | #2

    Sites like these are wonderful. Charlottesville, VA has a really amazing Historic Jail near its downtown area called Court Square. I directed a short documentary piece on the Jail and the area around it which you can watch at http://bit.ly/vtFs1g if you go under Featured Videos and select "Old Charlottesville Jail". I've lived in Charlottesville for almost ten years and had no idea it was there until a friend told me about it.

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