This week the Montclair History Center submitted a Letter to the Editor which appeared in both the Montclair Times and the Montclair Local weekly papers to update the community on the Shultz House, one of our historic properties, and each paper also published an article on the subject. I’m posting the content of the letter here (and links to articles), with some additional clarifications to address questions that have arisen.
As reported in the Montclair Local in June 2019, the Montclair History Center (MHC) announced that we were at a crossroads regarding one of our properties, the Charles Shultz House (a.k.a. Evergreens) at 30 North Mountain Avenue. Bequeathed to us in 1996 by Molly Shultz, the house is now owned by the Montclair History Center with no restrictions on our use or disposition of it.
Despite our deep love and respect for the house and efforts to maintain it as a historic house museum, the substantial and escalating maintenance costs (consuming up to 40% of our annual operating budget in recent years) have made MHC’s continued ownership financially unsustainable. This is our update to the community on our quest to find another path forward for the property.
(The 1996 bequest included a donation that was used, along with a matching grant, to stabilize the exterior of the Shultz House and carriage house and make the first floor of the Shultz House handicap-accessible. The gift did not include an endowment for ongoing operation, maintenance, or other costs. And, to clarify a frequent misconception about MHC funding, while we consider township officials to be generally supportive of our organization and mission, the township has no role in our funding or governance.)
In June we invited the public to a series of Community Conversations, which were publicized via a front page article in the Montclair Local, a full page ad in the Montclair Local, an email the MHC sent directly to our entire email list, articles that appeared in other media resulting from a press release we distributed, and via Facebook posts. They were very well-attended, produced positive, civil discussion, and we followed up on the many suggestions that arose. We’ve considered programming and fundraising ideas and have spoken to regional and national preservation organizations including the National Trust and the NJ Historic Trust; non-profit organizations; real estate and design professionals; local, county, and state officials; universities; Molly’s relatives; and the National Park Service and the Smithsonian. We have worked hard over the last several years to find a solution that allows us to maintain a museum space on the property, but our hopes for that scenario have dimmed.
MHC has not yet made any decisions on the house’s future. We are actively exploring ideas that respect the history of the house and the community and have rejected several outright that did not meet this goal. We remain open to introductions and viable suggestions for the Shultz House to determine those that allow the best future for the house, the community, and our organization. This includes discussions with real estate professionals who have approached us with creative adaptive re-use concepts for the house.
And now, we have also listed the house for sale as a single-family home. While it may not be the right fit for every family, it may be perfect for some family, as it had been for the Shultz family for 100 years.
We are heartened by the support we continue to receive from the community and the love of the house you share with us. Bolstering the home’s preservation and protection from demolition with either an easement with the NJ Historic Trust or a deed restriction; telling the Shultz family’s story; and respecting our community remain priorities for our organization. We will continue to keep you updated. If you want to reach out to the MHC directly, please contact our Executive Director Jane Eliasof at 973-744-1796 or jane@montclairhistorical.org.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth D. Hynes, AICP CTP, LEED AP
President, Montclair History Center Board of Trustees
Helen L. Fallon
Vice President, Montclair History Center Board of Trustees
Pasted here, for your reference, are several articles and links relating to the Shultz House.
Link to Montclair Times/North Jersey.com article 3/5/2020 issue
Link to Montclair Local article 3/5/2020 issue
Link to Halstead Realtors listing
Link to Montclair Local article that appeared June 13, 2019
Link to the Open Letter that appeared in the Montclair Local in June 2019 and was sent to our email list.
Also, the Montclair History Center continues to run a robust schedule of programming in keeping with our mission to preserve, educate, and share local history – please explore our website for upcoming programs, online reference materials, digital collections, recently written articles, and more: https://www.montclairhistory.org/