With the Monday demolition of the more than century-and-a-half-old Williams-Robards home on the Navesink River in Fair Haven, Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect is featuring the home in its Retro Pic of the Day.
The colonial was the last remaining one of its kind on the river in the borough and the surrounding area.
The home was demolished as part of an agreement with the state to procure grants to purchase the property.
It will be preserved as a passive recreation park.
By noon on Monday, all that was left of the historic Williams-Robard estate in Fair Haven was an old television, a couple of mattresses, a laundry basket, and a chunk of foundation on a heap of scrap.
The 160-year-old waterfront DeNormandie Avenue home that freed slave Charles Williams built — and made home to his immediate family and Robards family descendants — was demolished to make way for a passive park was on the banks of the Navesink River in Fair Haven.
The acquisition of the property has been in the works, via several funding avenues, for the better part of a decade.
The borough finally acquired the 6.9-acre property in the fall to preserve a rare swath of waterfront open space for future generations to enjoy, rather than letting it be sold to a private developer and closed off from public access.
The house, officials have said, was in too much disrepair to preserve. Also, as part of the deal for procurement of funding for the $1.2 million acquisition, borough officials had to agree to demolish the home.
The most recent owners, the Robards descendants, had lived in the house since 1855.
“Winifred Robards (who lived there since 1855, when she was 3) was known to invite kids onto the property to play and enjoy it all the time,” Lucarelli said.
It was her wish to pay that forward, Lucarelli had said. A plaque commemorating the Williams-Robards families will be erected on the site with a recounting of its history, Lucarelli said at the announcement of the acquisition in the fall.
Click here for the story of the acquisition.
— Photos and story by Elaine Van Develde
— Photos by Elaine Van Develde
Sunday was true to its namesake. The sun was out … and bright.
So, people hit the beach in Sea Bright — a sign that spring had finally sprung.
While the sun was like a siren calling all beach bums back, upon hitting the beach, there was a chill in the blustery air.
So, some stuck it out, bundled up and taking advantage of the wind with kites, others abandoned the beach-going idea.
However, there were a few things to take notice of — like the bit of progress being made to bring Donovan’s Reef back, and the dunes sprouting up all over.
Donovan’s, the longtime Sea Bright summer classic for Rumson-Fair Haven area people and beyond, was flattened by Hurricane Sandy.
There were all sorts of rumors circulating that it had been sold, then the ownership announced that it would be rebuilt with a target date of last Memorial Day.
There’s a Tiki hut and accompanying thatch umbrella at the base of new staircases and it looks like there may be some hope for some sort of resurrection this summer. We’ll see.
And the dunes that were planted across the beach — some by the Fair Haven Garden Club — to stave off erosion are really taking hold.
Check out our photo gallery above for a glimpse into the day and the progress. Click on any photo to enlarge.
By Elaine Van Develde
The uncharacteristic March cold staved off progress for a bit, but with the spring warmth come the finishing touches of the Fair Haven Streetscape project.
And with the final phase of work, that will continue for about another three weeks, comes a minor traffic delay, with one lane closed, during daylight hours on River Road.
“We’re executing the rest of the Streetscape East program,” Mayor Ben Lucarelli said. “We started last fall at around Buena Vista Avenue on the north side, just to get that last part of the project started, then winter kicked in.”
As with the rest of the Streetscape project that spans from the business section by the Acme and now through to the Rumson border, sidewalks are being replaced on both sides of River Road and the consistent historic-looking lighting is being installed.
The last part of the east portion of the project is under construction on the south side of River Road, from Buena Vista to Oak Place, or roughly 911 River Road where the Shrewsbury Yacht Club sits, Lucarelli said.
Next, the project will be competed on the north side of River Road in the same area.
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