Alternative plan could save Squier Farmhouse in South Orange

Photo by Amanda Valentovic
The Squier Farmhouse in South Orange

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — A plan by the surrounding neighbors to save the Squier Farmhouse from demolition has gained steam in the time since the property owner was granted an allowance to split the property into two lots — presumably to demolish the centuries-old home and build two newer houses on the Ridgewood Road site — with the community and owner working together to come up with an alternative.

The farmhouse, which was built in 1774 and was the childhood home of Nathan Squier, the person who gave South Orange its name, was purchased in late 2020. Not yet a locally designated historical site, the site was scheduled to be considered for the registry in the village’s new master plan; this was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting state of emergency. A petition to preserve the house, which faces Floods Hill, has garnered more than 600 signatures.

Bill McIntosh, an architect and resident of South Orange who lives just a few blocks away from the farmhouse, has been working on a plan with owner Isaac Lefkowitz that would instead divide the property into three lots, allowing for the renovation of the current house in addition to two new ones elsewhere on the property. McIntosh presented the plan to the South Orange Board of Trustees at its meeting on Feb. 22.

“You could still take those two houses, move them slightly and still preserve the original 1774 Squier property,” McIntosh said at the meeting. “Instead of cars being able to turn headfirst into the garage, they would back into the garage, which is now located in the back. The Squier house would have its own driveway. This fits well on the site and looks comfortable, and saves the significant part of the house.”

According to McIntosh, who has a background in historical architecture, it wouldn’t be the first time more than one house would be on the property: 1877 views of the farm show another house alongside the main house. Variances would need to be granted to allow for three lots; the Planning Board is scheduled to hear the application on March 25.

The next hurdle is finding out if saving the farmhouse is financially feasible. The structure would be adapted, removing later additions to preserve the original structure from 1774.

“A prominent preservation structural engineer has already done a pro bono field visit and issued a memo noting that, from what can be seen, it appears in better-than-expected condition for a 247-year-old structure, and, with some repairs, the structure can be renovated,” McIntosh said in an email to the News-Record on Feb. 21.

A GoFundMe was launched at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/save-the-squier-farmhouse by the South Orange Historical and Preservation Society to raise money to assess the preservation aspects of the condition of the house’s existing structure and systems. A contractor and an inspector would do the assessments; the money raised goes to them and not the developer. As of March 4, the fundraiser had collected $8,435 of its $10,000 goal.

The fundraiser isn’t the final step in saving the house, though. McIntosh said in the email that “actual feasibility will depend on further work to test structural integrity, develop a schematic design, have this priced and compare to the likely sale price.” But the plan looks promising so far. At the meeting, Village President Sheena Collum called it a “win-win-win.”

“Isaac is really going out there and working with the community, and really trying to be a great partner. We are very, very appreciative,” Trustee Bob Zuckerman said at the meeting. “We hope this could be a win-win for all of us. That would be amazing if we could make this happen.”

Lefkowitz is optimistic as well.

“Had this been in any other town, I would not have spent this amount of time to make this situation come,” he said at the meeting. “The town was very forthcoming, very understanding, great people to work with. That’s the only reason why we’re proceeding down this road, and we are optimistic that this will be the outcome.”