Ridgewood Road might be one of the most important streets in Maplewood. Along this winding and tree-lined street are some of the oldest homes in town that chart the village’s history from a colonial farm town to a suburb.
Last month, the village’s Historic Preservation Commission hosted a community meeting, the second of its kind, to discuss with residents the potential to form a historic district here, though a designation still requires many steps, including a vote from the commission and Town Committee.
“The purpose of tonight’s meeting is simple — to share information, answer questions, and listen,” said Daniel Wright, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission. “It is an opportunity for residents, especially property owners who may be affected, to better understand what a historic designation means, what it does not mean, and how the process works.”
While other local historic districts have often been theorized in Maplewood, including one on Prospect Street, one reason why Ridgewood Road was prioritized is because of an extensive architectural survey that was completed in 2006 that provides important groundwork for the effort, outlining the boundaries of the would-be historic district, cataloging the properties in great detail, and making a case for its designation.
“The most important reason is that it is a corridor that records through its architecture the long story of Maplewood’s development and history,” Steven Smolyn, principal at Architectural Heritage Consultants, which the HPC hired to help them navigate the process.
As it currently stands, the historic district begins at Berkeley Road and ends at Cedar Lane. It includes 137 homes mostly found along a milelong stretch of Ridgewood Road but also on some of the side streets. This would become Maplewood’s first locally designated historic district which gives the highest level of protection from demolition and alterations.
The Maplewood Village Historic District, though listed on the National Register, is not locally designated.
“That document from 2006 is always the very first step in creating a historic district,” said Isabel Oyuela-Bonzani, a consultant for Smolyn’s firm. “The current outline of the proposed historic district is still faithful to the one the authors of the 2006 survey.”
“This road is still an important gateway into Maplewood and has been since the 1700s,” Oyuela-Bonzani said.
It is important to note that as the process of designating historic districts plays out, the boundaries rarely remain fixed as it nears the finish line. In fact, they often shrink in response to properties being lost to demolition along the way or in response to public feedback.
There are 12 local landmarks within the village’s borders. Two of them are located on Ridgewood Road. The 1743 Timothy Ball House the 1790 Durand-Hedden House, now a house museum, are among the oldest homes in Maplewood and have ties to the English settlers who founded farms on land purchased from Native Americans in the 17th century.
One resident at the meeting who supported the effort to form a historic district said the designation would give those living in the neighborhood a “voice” in “how our community changes or evolves over time.”
“The most effective way to prevent or mitigate the loss of historic buildings, actual surveyed historic buildings, is through the Historic Preservation Commission and through historic districts,” Smolyn said.
However, David Rabinowitz, who lives on Ridgewood Road, said he opposed the district because he believed the HPC’s oversight was “cumbersome” and potentially costly as it restricts in some instances the materials that can be used to repair and maintain the exterior of a home.
“It will impose a financial burden on only a small selected group of residents,” he said. “I am, as you can hear from my voice, very upset about the prospect of someone imposing their will on my ability to make reasonable decisions about my house.”
