For Gateway, Restoring Fort Hancock’s Officers Row Remains Elusive
The Two River Times
November 22, 2024
By Sunayana Prabhu
https://tworivertimes.com/forgatewayrestoringforthancocksofficersrowremainselusive/
The iconic Officers Row buildings at Fort Hancock need rehabilitation, as Gateway National Recreation Area still faces a $25 million funding gap to restore the historic structures. Stan Kosinski
FORT HANCOCK – The future of historic buildings on the Sandy Hook peninsula remains stable yet critical.
While several infrastructure upgrades have been made and new leasing updates on Officers Row buildings seem optimistic, the demolition of the historic Sandlass House at the peninsula’s entrance and the financial challenges in meeting developer Roy Stillman’s proposal to rehabilitate 21 buildings still have revitalization of the area at crossroads.
“Our focus is stabilization so that we can continue to create conversations about longer term,” said Jennifer Nersesian, Gateway National Recreation Area’s outgoing superintendent and designated federal officer, during the Fort Hancock 21st Century Federal Advisory Committee meeting, Wednesday, Oct. 30. Nersesian, who has served as the park’s superintendent for 11 years, announced she is departing for a new role in Washington, D.C.
The meeting covered updates on rehabilitating the historic structures located across the northern end of Sandy Hook, overseen by the National Park Service.
Karen Edelman from the business and management division of the Gateway National Recreation Area provided updates on the leasing progress for several Officers Row buildings.
Former barracks Buildings 24 and 25 will be converted into a mix of one-bedroom and studio residential units; Building 40, the former YMCA, will be transformed into a dining and event space; and Building 114, the former Officers Club, will also be converted into an event venue.
Edelman noted that Building 56 is currently being used by Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD). Building 23, which MCVSD intends to rehabilitate, collapsed a few years ago and was stabilized by the National Park Service with support from Monmouth County. Edelman noted that rehabilitation of both buildings – 23 and 56 – are “not leases” but “subject to an agreement” between the National Park Service and MCVSD.
The leasing process, Nersesian explained, involves obtaining approvals from the state Historic Preservation Office to ensure the proposed renovations and adaptive reuse plans align with historic preservation standards. “It seems like it takes a long time for these leases to get signed, and that is true,” Nersesian said, noting that one recent historic rehabilitation project took five years to navigate from the initial letter of intent to the execution of the lease.
Despite this progress, the challenge of securing the necessary financing to fully realize the park’s vision for the historic Fort Hancock area remains.
Rehabilitating the 21 buildings on the Sandy Hook peninsula – to the state’s historic restoration standards – for long-term residential use will cost the National Park Service an estimated $100 million, according to the figures provided by the New York-based Stillman Development Group. Stillman’s financial analysis was made using two pilot Officers Row buildings to create an estimate for the 21 similar buildings. Of the $100 million, the Stillman Group is willing to invest $50 million, leaving the NPS on the hook to fund the remaining amount.
The National Park Service has decided to proceed with the demolition of Sandlass House at Sandy Hook’s entrance, citing its lack of historic integrity and operational challenges posed by its vulnerable waterfront location. File Photo
The National Park Service has decided to proceed with the demolition of Sandlass House at Sandy Hook’s entrance, citing its lack of historic integrity and operational challenges posed by its vulnerable waterfront location. File Photo
At the latest advisory committee meeting, Nersesian said the financing work team established within the advisory committee analyzed Stillman’s development costs “item by item” and were “able to ratchet those numbers down, probably by actually 25%,” which brings down the total cost to $75 million. But “that does not close the gap,” she said, noting the park service will still need to raise $25 million.
Nersesian discussed the work of the financing working group, which has identified promising opportunities through state-level programs such as the New Jersey Historic Grant Program, New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund (NJACRF), and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (NJEDA) Historic Property Reinvestment Program that offers tax credits to incentivize rehabilitation of historic buildings.
Representatives from the NJEDA provided an overview of their historic preservation programs during the meeting. The committee then discussed how to best navigate these funding opportunities and coordinate with potential nonprofit partners, including the Sandy Hook Foundation, which has already supported the efforts.
Nersesian also announced a significant update about plans to demolish the William Sandlass House, also known as Building 600, located at 600 Hartshorne Drive at the entrance of Sandy Hook. Empty and deteriorating for almost a decade, the house was once a busy summer resort on the Jersey Shore.
Nersesian said the decision to demolish the Sandlass building comes after a formal determination of eligibility process conducted by the park service. The assessment found that the building did not meet the criteria for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. “The outcome of this professional assessment was that the Sandlass building was determined to not be eligible for historic designation,” Nersesian explained.
She cited various factors that contributed to the determination, including a lack of integrity and the building’s vulnerable location along the water’s edge. Additionally, she noted that the building’s challenges with access and overall park operations were taken into consideration.
The decision to demolish the Sandlass building has been met with some opposition from community members and advocacy groups that have been pushing for its preservation. However, Nersesian explained that the evaluation process, which included a review by the Keeper of the National Register, the associate director with the authority to make the final determination, ultimately concluded that the building did not warrant historic designation.
The park service has secured funding for the demolition of the Sandlass building and will be “moving forward,” Nersesian said, reiterating that the decision was made after a thorough review of the building’s history and its significance within the broader context of Gateway National Recreation Area.
The article originally appeared in the November 21 – November 27, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.