Long-time residents often say the Montclair they knew has changed. Baristanet wants to keep track of that change. The following is our very own teardown map, but we've gone a step beyond. The map, a work in progress, currently has three icons. The yellow house icon identifies teardowns. The red house icon shows recent new construction on open space or extra lots. The purple house icon identifies properties that have a historic designation (again, not necessarily protection from demolition).
We'll be updating the map and working to improve it constantly. It will live on our site as an evolving document chronicling change in Montclair. If you have access to information and/or photos to add to this map, please send them here. And a big thank you to Rick Burnes and the folks at Faneuil Media!
Click through to the jump to view the map...
MAP KEY
Yellow house icon = teardowns
Red house icon = new construction on open space or extra lots
Purple house icon = properties that have a historic designation
Comments (39)
They should raze the Crane House, and build 45 condo's and a starbux there.
The map is missing the Valley Road teardown just Southeast of the A&P that was turned into twin gigantohouses with a shared driveway.
The map is missing the abandoned house on Greenwood that was turned into 4 townhouses
How far back are you going? There was the teardown on the northern end of Norwood, near Alexander, 2 or 3 years ago, I think.
hib -- when you drive by, can you get me an address?
Liz,
It is two or three in from Alexander on the right. You can't miss it, its actually a very nice house that replaced a dump much like the one that still stands to the right of it. Incidentally real estate fans, I believe this is the same contractor that is doing the Duryea project. If you knock down the Duryea house and put two of these on the street like they planned, the street would have looked much better than the existing structure.
"Doing the Duryea House?" I thought that the developer had decided not to knock down the Duryea house?
Yes, Duryea isn't getting knocked down.
Sorry, meant to say "Duryea project." either way, I thought they were just going to rehabilitate the house and re-sell it as is?
I know that there were a bunch of houses built on previously open space in the Walnut St. area -- sometime between 1900 and 1925. Let's be fair and stop pretending this is a recent issue. We've been witness to the creeping demon of development since Israel Crane was in diapers.
The Victoria Gate townhouses are in the wrong place on your map: they are too far south
Don't forget the two on the corner of Midland and Walnut
There are also 3 on Stonebridge if I'm correct (that's the one by Llewellyn)
There's one at the corner of Clinton and Melrose that went up a couple of years ago, there's a new two family on north fullerton by Chestnut, there are three relatively new ones on North Mountain by Berkley
There is one on North Mountain near Club St. that I believe went up in the late 1940's, and another on The Fairway, near Bellevue that went up around the same time. These were beautiful lots prior to that.
Let's not forget the majestic Hahne's Building. I'll always miss the quiet dignity of that crumbling old gem.
And ... I don't know whether massive additions count, but how about the expansion of Mountainside Hospital in the late 1980's. I believe that was either open space or required some demolition -- and for something as silly as serving the health needs of our community.
Isn't most of Erwin Park located on what used to be the Montclair Golf Club? Wouldn't we love to have that open space back today?
Hey .... every damned house in Montclair represents overdevelopment. You're pissed off ... me and the rest of my tribe are way more pissed than any of you newcomers. Then again, now that all of you are here and the place looks fashionable to you, it's ok to call a halt to it all. I just wish we had been able to control the town council and block further development when it really counted.
I remember hunting hunting small rodents along Gordonhurst in the early 1840's -- they made a good stew and I loved the open spaces. I long for those days of open spaces in Montclair.
Hiding ... you're an idiot. Can't you see we're just trying to shout the door those after us -- especially those we don't happen to like.
This is so silly...Hiding yelling at Hiding, and then Hiding says something else to Hiding, and then Hiding rebuffs what Hiding just said, and on, and on, and on.
Say, can't you Hiding folks at least put a number after your "name", it'll make it so much better for the rest of us to understand, ( or almost anyway )what, and where the conversation is about, and where it's going.
Wayne Robbins
"we're just trying to shout the door those after us "
What in the world does this mean?
Yes! I don't understand what that means either.
See, now isn't that much better...it feels like a conversation..not just One, with many viewpoints.
Now, can we just work a bit with the sir name area.
sir name? do you mean surname?
Ok ... I've got a proper name now.
I meant "we're trying to shut the door to all those who come after us"
why would you want to shut the door?
Because we don't want any change ... at all. No more building in open space. No more tearing down of buildings. Historic designation for all buildings erected prior to 1980. This is how we will avoid evolving as a town and keep things exactly as they are.
Shouldn't every house in Montclair be on this map? Were there some homes here in Baristaville that emerged, fully formed, from the Big Bang?
By "Big Bang" do you mean Pfloker?
I'm very concerned about this situation here. Why are houses so important when there are trees and rabbit hutches?
For the record...Any post with my name, and a number, or something else, after it, is Not me.
It started, when I wanted the people who were posting by the name of Hiding, to put a number after their "Name", so we could tell it was more then one person..Well, a few people, wanting to make fun of my suggestion, started using my name, with a number after it..but it's not me babe.
anyway..have a nice to all
Wayne Robbins
The Crane House! It was built on previously open space.
There should be a red icon on Inwood Ave. on the south side between Park and Grove--a new house was built on an empty lot 3 or 4 years ago. (No teardown involved.)
Someone should take a look at Ridgewood, NJ. If they're not tearing the house down, they're expanding the house to within an inch of the property line.
All three houses on North Mountain, across from Van Vleck have vinyl everything, including the chimneys.
So sorry to hear of your city losing its soul, same as my town of West Hollywood, California. We are trying for a historic preservation overlay zone over the entire city! (HPOZ)
L.A. is doing it neighborhood by neighborhood and it is working! - Roy
this is terrible, but what you are doing is fantastic! this teardown/townhouse disease is spreading, although i think that where i live (houston) it's terminal :(
What about Christopher Court? 10 new (tacky) houses listed at 1.7 mil each. And they tore down the lovely, historic Marlboro Inn to put them there. Looks to me like the town just wants to get the big taxes and to heck with preservation. Montclair (and other towns) could be "improved" without being compromised!
any news on 77 Midland Ave.It was designed by henry hudson holly who also designed home of thomas edison.