Florham Park
Historic Preservation Commission

About the New Jersey and National Historic Registers
 

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The Historic Preservation Commission

"shall survey the entire Borough against criteria for the National Register of Historic Places, and based on the survey, in conjunction with the recommendations of concerned citizens, the Commission shall identify historic landmarks, historic landmark sites, and historic districts within the Borough which are worthy of preservation..."
The ordinance then specifies how those landmarks are to be evaluated, and the standards closely parallel those that the state and federal government use to assess historic sites (see criteria below). Here is some background on State and Federal historic designations, their impacts, other forms of historic listings and, finally, some websites for further information.

What is a "historic site"?

From a State and National perspective, to be designated a "historic site" means being listed in the New Jersey or National Register of Historic Places. The New Jersey and National Registers include properties deemed worthy of preservation for their architectural, historical, archaeological, engineering or cultural value. Listing in the Registers provides official recognition of New Jersey's cultural resources and offers a measure of protection from public undertakings.

The National Park Service maintains the National Register. The Historic Preservation Office maintains New Jersey's list, reviews Register nominations, and reviews the impact of public undertakings on properties listed on the Register. The Historic Preservation Office is part of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, located within the Division of Parks and Forestry.

If you wish to have your historic property registered, or find out if your property is already on the Register, contact the Register Section at the Historic Preservation Office at (609) 292-2028. Listing, for a private property, is an honorary status and provides the property with protection from public works impacting its historical integrity. Registration does not place restrictions on private property rights.

The sites currently on the National Register in Florham Park are:

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What criteria are used to determine eligibility for listing on the Register?

Eligibility for listing is based on the significance of the district, site, or object in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. The district, site, or object must also possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and:

    1. be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the our history;
    2. be associated with the lives of significant person in our past;
    3. have distinctive architectural/design characteristic or represent the work of a master; and
    4. have yielded or may yield information important in history or prehistory.
The best sources for finding out more about the Register are either the Historic Preservation Office or the National Park Service.

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What impact does listing my property on the State Register have on what I can and cannot do to my property?

For Properties Owned by Government Entities:

As a government entity, the NJ State Register Law is applicable to any property you own that is listed on the State or National Register of Historic Places. This means that an undertaking, such as an addition, restoration, preservation, leasing or selling of the historic property, must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Office for compliance to the Register Law and/or the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1995).

If you plan to apply for a grant or loan from the New Jersey Historic Trust, a certificate of eligibility is required at the time of application, and registering the property is a condition if a grant is awarded.

 For Properties Owned by Nonprofit Organizations:

If your organization is interested in applying for a grant or loan from the Trust, obtaining a certificate of eligibility from the Historic Preservation Office is required at the time of application. If awarded a grant, listing on the Register is a condition of the grant and no money will be disbursed until the property is listed on the State Register. National Register listing is optional.

In addition, listing protects your property from a public project, such as a County road widening, which may impact your property's historic integrity. If you are undertaking a project without a Trust grant or loan, listing on the Register does not restrict you, as property owner, from doing what you will to your property. If you are undertaking a project using a Trust grant or loan, all work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1995).

For Properties Owned by Private Individuals:

Listing on the State and National Register protects your property from a public project, such as a County road widening, which may impact your property's historic integrity. Listing on the Register does not restrict you, as property owner, from doing what you will to your property.

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Are there other forms of historic listings? Yes.

National Historic Landmarks

A National Historic Landmark is a different distinction than a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation holds historic properties to a much higher standard of national importance. Only places that "possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating and interpreting the heritage of the United States" are designated National Historic Landmarks. The National Landmarks program was established to identify and protect places possessing exceptional value in illustrating the nation's heritage.

Landmarks constitute more than 2,100 of almost 65,000 entries in the National Register. New Jersey has over fifty NHL's including Monmouth Battlefield, Ringwood Manor, the Walt Whitman House, Craftsman Farms, Paulsdale, and the Sandy Hook Lighthouse.
Local Historic Districts

There are local historic districts that are designated by local municipalities. Each municipality treats a local historic district according to its own rules.

Some municipalities have a historic preservation commission which serves as an advisory body to the planning board. This means that if your building is within the historic district, any exterior work planned must be reviewed for compliance with the municipality's historic district standards. The standards vary from municipality to municipality and sometimes from district to district depending on the importance of the district.

World Heritage Sites

Cultural properties believed to possess international significance may be nominated to the World Heritage List. The Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall are two sites listed in the New Jersey region.
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For more information, link to the New Jersey Historic Trust or the National Park Service's National Register Information System.

Note that at the National Register site, you may view the Register on the web. Experienced internet users may also download a copy of the register to their own computer for further manipulation using FTP. The download file is in dBase III Plus format.

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