The Historic Preservation Commission, led by Chairman Charles F. Shay, proudly awarded Jennifer and Andrew Marrus with the 2021 Historic Preservation Award for Restoration and Rehabilitation on December 29, 2021 at their historic Schiff Carriage House.
Under architect E. Harris James, the French Norman style home located at 59 Buena Vista Avenue, which was built in 1893, has been carefully preserved, and in some circumstances replicated, by the Marrus family.
It was not long after purchasing the home in 2018 that the Marrus family began its thoughtful and careful renovations to preserve the integrity and history of the Jacob Schiff estate, which was originally a stable and carriage house before being converted to a residential home in the 1950s.
The clock tower and courtyard, with original stonework, sits centered between the north and the south buildings of the property. The north building was a former stable with staff apartments, while the south building was the original Schiff Carriage House.
In December, during the award ceremony, the Marrus family invited the Historic Preservation Commission members to see and document the restoration and rehabilitation efforts first hand. Both the stable and the apartments of the north building have been fully renovated, while the south building and work room have been restored to become the main house and garage. In addition, the Marrus Family also restored the entry gate to the courtyard, the clock tower and the tower’s clock, all while keeping the courtyards original stonework in place. These efforts included the restoration and rewiring of all the original exterior lights, which includes two lamp posts that were originally located on Rumson road.
“Rumson is fortunate to have a family owning historic property in the Borough and restoring it with historically accurate detail,” Rumson Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Charles F. Shay said. “Jennifer and Andrew Marrus have restored the historic Schiff Carriage House on Buena Vista Ave. to its original architectural style.”
“We were lucky to have this opportunity to help preserve this beautiful building, part of Rumson’s rich history and one of the town’s many landmarks,” Jennifer Marrus said. The Rumson Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) was formed for the purpose of identifying and assisting in the preservation of the many important properties, homes, landmarks and sites in The Borough of Rumson. In an effort to preserve the special character of the town, its goal is to be a valuable resource for the owners of historic homes and properties, to act in an advisory capacity for property owners going through the application for development process, to educate the public, to give advice to the Rumson Borough Council and the Rumson Planning and Zoning Boards and to recognize those in our community that embody the spirit of Historic Preservation.
Most recently, the HPC set out to identify the oldest existing structure in Rumson. The result of its research found that Bingham Hall, a focal point in The Borough that is currently used for a number of official Borough of Rumson and community events, was built in 1842. In commemoration, the Commission erected a plaque on the site, inscribed with a brief history of the 180 year old building.
The HPC launched its website and inventory of properties over one hundred years old in 2015. The website continues to allow users to use Block/Lot numbers or a street address to locate a property. Each property listed on the website includes a description, architectural style, year built and if known, the architect or other significant facts.
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