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The Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee Saving a City's Heritage |
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The
Annual Recognition Awards THE 2007 RECOGNITION AWARD Historian and Ancient House Win Honors New Jersey's most prolific historian and the new owners of the oldest house in Newark have won top honors from the Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee. John T. Cunningham of Florham Park, who has written 50 books about the state's past, received the group's first annual Charles Cummings Award for many contributions to state and local history. It is named for the librarian and city historician who died in 1995. Francis Crespo and Lance Dronkers, who bought the 295-year-old Sydenham House last year, were cited for their efforts to restore and beautify the old Dutch farmhouse. Their work is overseen by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. William Mikesell, president of the Newark landmarks group, presented Cunningham with a framed portrait of Cummings, and gave the Sydenham House owners a new descriptive marker to mount outside. The stone and frame house is on an obscure street called Old Road to Bloomfield, near the northern end of Branch Brook Park Mikesell noted that Cunningham "was the only and obvious choice when we set up the Cummings Award in memory of his dear friend and fellow historian." Cunningham has delivered tributes to Cummings at several public events. The author, now in his 90s, published his first book, "This Is New Jersey," in 1953, when he was a writer on the old Newark News. His latest books are about a news photographer, and Morristown in the American Revolution. His published works include three editions of "Newark," the most popular book on the city's evolution since 1666. Cunningham has also produced numerous articles, films, and school materials, and lectured widely. The recipient of nine honorary college degrees, he was described as "The man who made N.J. history worth reading" in a recent newspaper headline. Crespo and Dronkers, who already lived in Newark, bought the vacant Sydenham House in 2006. Mikesell said "their nonstop cleaning, repair, and redecoration have made this a showplace of early American design, and a repository of antiques, arts, and crafts." Crespo is an antiques dealer in New York, and Dronkers is a computer specialist. The first part of the house was built in the early 18th century for a newlywed couple, and more than doubled to its present size in its first 120 years. The house remained in the Sydenham family until the 1920s, and later fell into near-ruin. It then was bought restored for nearly 40 years by Dorland and Betty Henderson, who died in the 1990s. The Hendersons bequeathed the 18-room house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has imposed deed restrictions on any major alterations by present or future owners. The house still has original beams, flooring, fireplaces, and hardware. All
the Award Recipients, 1975-2006 Here's
a complete list of every person and organization that has received a Recognition
Award from the Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee since its creation.
1975 -- D.J. and Betty Henderson
Donald W. Geyer
NPLC's first Recognition Award in 1975 went to Sydenham House, oldest private home in Newark. From left are Don Dust, NPLC founder; D.J. and Betty Henderson, owners of the house; Sam Miller, Liz DelTufo, and Charles Cummings, all then trustees of NPLC. Dust and the Hendersons are deceased.
1976 -- Newark Construction Trades Training Center
Douglas Eldridge 1977
-- Samuel C. Miller 1978 -- Newark Symphony Hall Corporation
Elizabeth Del Tufo 1979 -- William Clark Mansion (North Ward Center)
Charles Cummings 1980
-- Lincoln Park Association 1981 -- Mirabella family (710 King Blvd.) Emilio Serio (30 Houston St.)
Jack
Sheehan and Richard Rozewski
(12 Taylor St.) 1982
-- Rutgers University (Newhouse Center, 15 Washington St.) 1983
-- Essex Plaza Associates (1060 Broad St. et al.) 1984 -- Dr. Samuel Berg; Donald T. Dust; National State Bank (810 Broad St.) 1985
-- Professor Troy West 1986
-- New Community Corporation (St. Joseph Plaza, 221 West Market St.) 1987
-- New Jersey Transit (Broad Street and Penn Stations)
Barbara
Kukla 1988
-- Newark Public Library (Centennial Hall, 5 Washington St.) 1989 -- N.J. Bell Telephone Co. (540 Broad St.)
Stephen Pellegrino 1990 -- Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica
Robert Van Fossan (posthumous) 1991 -- William Chappel;
10 Park Place (Firemen's Insurance Building) 1992 -- St. Vincent Academy;
Newark Abbey (520 King Blvd.) 1993
-- Robert Morgan and William Doherty (214 Ballantine Parkway) 1994 -- St. Rocco's Roman Catholic Church
Richard Grossklaus 1995
-- The Newark Museum (Ballantine House, 43 Washington St.) 1996 -- Former Assemblywoman Maureen Ogden
Mount Pleasant Cemetery 1997 -- James Lecky St. James Community Development Corp. (136-148 Broad St.) 1998 -- Save the Park at Riverbank (SPARK) Veterans Administration (Washington Place) Donald Karp Dr. E. Alma Flagg (special) Michael Immerso
Jean-Rae Turner 2000 -- St. Casimir's R. C. Church
Victoria J. Snoy
NPLC's 2000 Recognition Awards are given by Rose Spears, former president, to the pastor of St. Casimir's R.C. Church and Victoria Snoy, another former President
2001 -- Cogswell Realty Group (National Newark Building, 744 Broad St.)
Weequahic
Park Association 2002 -- St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church;
William Gordon
St. James A.M.E. Church
2003 -- Integrity Inc.; Assemblywoman Connie Myers 2004 - Port Authority (1935 Newark Airportd terminal); Glenn Geisheimer ("oldnewark.com" web site) 2005 -- Essex County Courthouse; St. Benedict's Prep School 2006 - N.J. Institute of Technology (Eberhardt Hall Alumni Center)
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