Historic Ocean Grove NJ: Origin of Ocean Grove Christmas House Tour
Enjoy the upcoming 2009 Ocean Grove New Jersey Victorian Holiday Festival House and Inn Tour on December 12 & 13th. See Details here
How and why the Ocean Grove Christmas House Tour began or The Origin of the Christmas Holiday Event of the Winter Christmas House Tour and how it came about
Excerpt from “ A Home Renovator’s Guide for Historic Ocean Grove Foreword Section 1989:
As property owners in the historic district of Ocean Grove on the Jersey Shore, we are the stewards of an irreplaceable architectural heritage. But as a living community, the preservation of our buildings and original town plan is complicated by the changing times. Ocean Grove is adapting from a summer resort into a year-round community. Houses are being winterized and hotels are being converted to boarding houses and condominiums. New houses are being built on empty lots and side yards. Residents are concerned that the cumulative effect of these ongoing changes could seriously damage the historic fabric of Ocean Grove.This carefully researched handbook is part of a larger preservation plan funded by the Ocean Grove Homeowners Association and the Chamber of Commerce. Our efforts in this direction are not the first. In 1976, Ocean Grove was listed as a historic district on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places through the work of area residents Wayne T. Bell, Margaret Goodrich, Jack Steinberg, and Frank Henson. When Neptune Township assumed municipal control of Ocean Grove in 1980, the Historical Society of Ocean Grove lobbied successfully for a preservation ordinance designating Ocean Grove as a local historic district with a Board of Architectural Review to oversee any exterior physical changes within it.
Given the test of time, however, Neptune’s historic preservation ordinance proved inadequate. The Board of Architectural Review had no detailed guidelines on which to base their decisions. There were no criteria of professional expertise for board appointments, and the ordinance was often enforced inconsistently. The effects of these shortcomings were increasingly visible in the number of inappropriate alterations taking place in the historic district. At a well attended meeting of the Home Owners Association in the spring of 1986, residents voiced their concern.
Our problems were wide-ranging, and required both political action and an educational program. We needed to raise money and to raise awareness. The Ocean Grove Home Owners Association joined the Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Division to hold a special fund-raising event, a Victorian Christmas House Tour and Festival. Through the enthusiastic participation of the community and the dedication and talents of the co-chairs: Jennifer Boyd, and Earl Sagui, the day was a great success. On December 13th 1986, nearly one thousand people toured our century homes and hotels and we raised $10,000 for the cause of historic preservation in Ocean Grove.
Following the house tour, we co-sponsored a workshop in Ocean Grove with the state-wide advocacy group, Preservation New Jersey. The day culminated in a walking tour of Ocean Grove. Members on Neptune’s Township Committee, Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, and Code Enforcement Department attended. This was the beginning of a more open dialogue between preservation-minded members of the community and officials of the township. It soon bore fruit.
In the spring of 1988, through the leadership of Mayor Robert Rizas, the township committee passed a revised historic preservation ordinance that called for professional appointments to the Board of Architectural Review. Cooperation between the Board of Architectural Review and the Code Enforcement Department improved. House tour funds matched a state grant from the Office of New Jersey Heritage to hire a professional consultant. The consultant’s job is to prepare technical design guidelines for the Board of Architectural Review, hold workshops, and to advise them on large projects. These improvements to Neptune’s ordinance have been guided by the highest state and national standards as set by the National Park Service through the “Certified Local Government” program. It is our long term goal to see that Neptune’s ordinance will eventually meet all the standards set by this program.
Most recently, the house tour donated historic preservation books and periodicals to the Neptune Public Library to provide a readily available resource for property owners on home renovation projects. In an historic district, preservation is necessarily a communal process since every choice we make affects the whole. Our decisions, no matter how inconsequential they seem, will either augment, or diminish the historic riches of this community. Without the care and commitment of informed property owners all the efforts described above will be of little use. We hope that this book will help to inspire and guide you in the renovation of your home and the preservation of Ocean Grove for this generation and the future.
By Jennifer Boyd, Co-chairman.
Christmas House Tour, 1986/1988
President, Ocean Grove Homeowners Association
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