huh?

Would be a HUGE loss to lose another piece of early American history to be replaced with a few worthless houses that wouldn't even last as long as this one has.

Not only a huge loss, but what a travesty of a preservation law that puts the onus of responsibility for selling someone else's house in the laps of those who want the house preserved. The house has never been advertised on the open market and has never been marketed as an historic property. There is no reason to believe that the Planning Board would deny the owner her right to realize the value of her property if it rejects the request of Quattro IV LLC to demolish the house. The owner can go back to the open market or Quattro can agree to a subdivision that preserves the house. Paramus folks that love history need to speak out.

I grew up in an early 18c Dutch home less than a mile from Dunkerhook Road in Paramus. My parents fought the Planning and Zoning boards and mayor for decades to preserve their home, barns and many other buildings from the town's history. This "action" shows nothing changes. The days of bulldozing an historic home in the middle of the night to avoid judgement seem to still be alive and well in Paramus.
Thank goodness the 60's are past when in that decade alone more than 200 Dutch homes were destroyed in Bergen County; todaythere probably aren't that many remaining. This house on the Dunkerhook Road cul-de-sac also exemplifies the North's history, and New Jersey's in particular, as slave holding states: Here is proof that at least a few of the 2,762 New Jersy slaves listed in the 1790 census (the country's first) lived here.
So yes, this house is a huge historical loss and the town' action unconscionable. Perhaps metaphorically chaining oneself to a tree, as my mother actually did, can be successful once again to save the ever-shrinking history of our towns, lives and learning.

Planning Board Member Pucci's comments speak to the fact that he and his fellow representatives of the Borough of Paramus are strikingly unaware of their own responsibilities as public servants who are charged with, among other things, upholding the borough's own commitment to saving historic resources. To suggest that private entities bear the "onus" for legally protecting a resource which the Borough of Paramus (not to mention the county, state, and Department of the Interior) itself has recognized as having historic value is a poor argument and suggests that the only "planning" going on with this Planning Board is how to make as much revenue from the taxation of a larger house as is possible. Furthermore, to make such comments in the midst of this Alice-in-Wonderland style "make a better offer, but we won't tell you the price you are trying to beat" riddle strongly suggests that the Planning Board has a role in the developer's efforts to destroy the irreplaceable for a quick- and unattractive- buck . As a historian, I can only say that I am disgusted that money, and not an appreciation of the past and what it can offer to us, seems the only real consideration here.

The Federal Trust ranked New Jersey as 2nd in the US in 'historic tear-downs'. because we have high property values and lots of history here, NJ tears down more historic homes and buildings faster than the rest of the US. So much of the history of the US took place in NJ and this Dunkerhook house is just one more example. when its gone, its gone forever. we must speak up to preserve our history. the Zabriskie Schedler House in Ridgewood is 190 years old and is also slated to be demolished but a growing group of concerned residents are organizing to save it, please see our facebook page and join us, we still have time to save other historic homes in Bergen County, and hopefully the Dunkerhook house too.

How Does It Feel....To Be Out There On Your Own...With No Direction Home....A Complete Unknown.....Just Like A Rolling Stone!

Once again, the rich get richer! Developers, who are in bed with the mayor, the planning board and others in Paramus, should be whipped with a cat-of-nine, to use Slave vernacular!!! What a travesty this is. Greed wants to destroy history . 273 Dunkerhook is a registered historic property. Slaves were born, lived and died from this address.
I, cannot, in good conscience, sit back and say nothing. The North Jersey Chapter National Action Network is now involved. I may be contacted @20-433-6932.

Carolyn Oliver-Fair
President North Jersey Chapter
National Action Network

Take down one house, to build two new houses with barely any yard, just for a profit in someones pocket... Wow, love those greedy people of society. Shame, we try and educate the residents of this area with history, yet we are quick to wipe it out completely. You learn, cherish, and understand history so not to repeat it.. What lessons are we really teaching by doing this? It's alright if you have money, because you feel like you have the upper hand, and that the "peons" don't have a real leg to stand on? That money is the absolute power, and thus something with relatively any importance (to our town and history) can be destroyed just for a buck? This has no real lesson in it, except that greed can prevail. Plenty of other areas that can be used (not of historic backgrounds). I rather pay more in taxes, and know that our history is preserved, then see two new houses be built. Who really is winning?

I am completely against the entire concept of destroying history to make a quick profit. If we as a country forget our past we are bound to repeat the terrible things that happened in the past.

-Jimmy Lutz

Should we do that to our history books too? I mean, they are just big bulky eye sores. Old homes and structures do the same... Educate... History, we are taught so not repeat. Progress and antiquity can run neck and neck.. Look at Rome, Paris, Greece, etc... But yes, progress is key... So let's destroy more history, and try to cover up the past. History is the fundamental tool in reminding us how far we have come. We should never be ashamed, where we need to cover up our past. Paramus was once farm land, but let's knock it down for a dollar. I find it ironic that old homes last longer then the new ones any. Let the roof leak, and watch the chipboard dissolve. Go Progress!

While we're at it, lets get rid of the Tower of London which is 900 years old, the Sistine Chapel is 600 years old, nobody is using the Roman Coliseum anymore at 1000 years old or even the Egyptian Pyramids and the Sphinx are a complete waste of our supreme modern intelligence at 4500 years old! Let's be smart like the Taliban who blew up the 1700 year old Bamiyan Buddhas with Dynamite!! Who needs architecture and history that simply stands the test of time and teaches us nothing?! Think of all condos they could build on such prime property in the middle of London if they would just blow up the Tower of London! WHY do silly American spend thousands of dollars to travel to these foreign lands to see these ancient, historical structures anyway? Maybe because we don't bother to keep any of our own history?! Yay Progress!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1326063/After-1700-years-Buddhas-fall-to-Taliban-dynamite.html

HISTORY~Who Needs It, We Do...your words Jimmy.
Albert Saboroweski, whose descendants became known by the family name “Zabriskie”,[28] immigrated from Poland via the Dutch Ship 'The Fox'[29] in 1662 and settled in the Dutch West Indies Company town of Ackensack, today’s Hackensack, where he started a family. A son, Jacob, was kidnapped by the Lenape and held for 15 years. When he was returned to his family, the Lenape explained to Saboroweski that they had taken the child in order to teach him their language so that he could serve as a translator. They also granted Saboroweski approximately 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of land which became known as the “Paramus Patent”.[30]
During the American Revolutionary War, there were Tories and Patriots throughout Bergen County, with Patriots “greatly outnumbering” Tories.[31] Although no major battles were fought in Bergen County, Paramus nevertheless saw a great deal of military activity. Colonial troops were stationed in Ramapo under the command of Aaron Burr.[32] In 1777, the British raided the Hackensack area and Burr marched troops to Paramus from which he attacked the British, forcing them to withdraw.[33] General George Washington was in Paramus several times during the War: December, 1778; July, 1780; and, December, 1780.[34] Following the Battle of Monmouth Washington established his headquarters in Paramus in July, 1778.

And Again........

A section of Paramus known as Dunkerhook (meaning dark corner in Dutch) was an African-American community dating back to the early 18th century. Although historical markers on the current site and local oral tradition maintain that this was a slave community, contemporary records document that this was actually a community of free blacks, not slaves.[37] A group of houses built on Dunkerhook Road by the Zabriskies in the late 18th / early 19th centuries were the center of a community of black farmers who had been slaves for the Zabriskie family.[38]

Now when you can say that you have made anybody's life better rather than line your own pockets at their expense I will believe that your not blatant racist. And that the real reason you want this house gone is because it represents Afro-American Freedom in the middle or your white dreamland. And that the color green is the only color you can respond to because you believe that your superiority is real....remember the real superior One was born in an eyesore of a dilapidated old barn. And if it was a tourist attraction today you would not have enough money to buy your way in.

Mr Bryson, I would think you would have been there to confirm that...you obviously seem to side with the British and the belief that money rules all. The possibility that General Washington was in the residence is perfectly plausible as he would reside with friends like the Zabriskie's. The fact that you to you few know or care about Paramus is I think due to the fact that you spend far too much time in Jersey City with your hands in other peoples pockets to line your own.

ah well, we are too busy preserving our history to worry about getting the last word on a patch site....

Tear the dump down. It has no significant historical value to anyone.

This Trent character is just a prime example of a fool who as a person is willing to forget our past insuring that we are bound to repeat the terrible things that happened in the past.

I am completely against the entire concept of destroying history to make a quick profit. We have ganged up on another fool who used to post here, but he is now gone - I hope forever.

I dislike disagreeable people.