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OF N.J. LLC
| Unwanted Farmhouse Will Get A New Life |
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An uninhabited, unwanted 200-year-old Alexandria Township farmhouse scheduled for demolition and burial in a landfill was instead carefully
dissmantled and carted away to storage and eventual resurrection.
Located at the rear of the township park on the former Scott farm on the Little York-Mt. Pleasant Road, the farmhouse was built about 1810, with
additions constructed in the 1820's and 1830's, said Adam Wengryn, 37, owner of Restoration Technologies, which performed the work, saving the
township the expected demolition costs. Restoration Technologies, in return, paid nothing for the building.
All but one of the eight rooms had exposed, hand-hewn ceiling beams, notched to fit together and never painted. Other features included winder
stairs and walls made of mud and brick.
Professing an enduring interest in history and historic structures, Mr. Wengryn said that his business is "all about preservation. If you don't save
them, they're not there to save."
About 80 percent of the house will be "recycled," he said. Architectural drawings were made of the farmhouse before dismantling started last week,
and the building's components were cataloged and tagged for reconstruction. They may be in storage 10-15 years before a buyer is found.
Restoration Technologies dismantled about a dozen buildings last year, said Mr. Wengryn, and reconstructed three or four. The buildings are
usually bought as vacation homes or as attachments to principal homes, to serve as studios, garages, entertainment areas, and so forth.
"It seemed a sin for all that stuff to be destroyed," said Township Committee member Carol Hoffmann, who located Mr. Wengryn in an online search
for someone to rescue the farmhouse after it was slated for demolition by Alexandria's road crew. With no one living in the house, the township's
insurance carrier would no longer provide coverage.
dissmantled and carted away to storage and eventual resurrection.
Located at the rear of the township park on the former Scott farm on the Little York-Mt. Pleasant Road, the farmhouse was built about 1810, with
additions constructed in the 1820's and 1830's, said Adam Wengryn, 37, owner of Restoration Technologies, which performed the work, saving the
township the expected demolition costs. Restoration Technologies, in return, paid nothing for the building.
All but one of the eight rooms had exposed, hand-hewn ceiling beams, notched to fit together and never painted. Other features included winder
stairs and walls made of mud and brick.
Professing an enduring interest in history and historic structures, Mr. Wengryn said that his business is "all about preservation. If you don't save
them, they're not there to save."
About 80 percent of the house will be "recycled," he said. Architectural drawings were made of the farmhouse before dismantling started last week,
and the building's components were cataloged and tagged for reconstruction. They may be in storage 10-15 years before a buyer is found.
Restoration Technologies dismantled about a dozen buildings last year, said Mr. Wengryn, and reconstructed three or four. The buildings are
usually bought as vacation homes or as attachments to principal homes, to serve as studios, garages, entertainment areas, and so forth.
"It seemed a sin for all that stuff to be destroyed," said Township Committee member Carol Hoffmann, who located Mr. Wengryn in an online search
for someone to rescue the farmhouse after it was slated for demolition by Alexandria's road crew. With no one living in the house, the township's
insurance carrier would no longer provide coverage.
New Life - Above, Adam Wengryn of Restoration
Technologies of Ringoes grabs a rafter to hand down to his
brother George. At right, Ridge Heartpence and Seth Oldford
sort rafters on the roof. The men are dismantling the
200-year-old farmhouse at Alexandria Park that was
scheduled for demolition, to save it until someone else wants
it. The dismantled house may be in storage for 15 to 20 years
before the right buyer claims it.
Technologies of Ringoes grabs a rafter to hand down to his
brother George. At right, Ridge Heartpence and Seth Oldford
sort rafters on the roof. The men are dismantling the
200-year-old farmhouse at Alexandria Park that was
scheduled for demolition, to save it until someone else wants
it. The dismantled house may be in storage for 15 to 20 years
before the right buyer claims it.
Click Here To See More Pictures Of the Alexandria Park House