Happy New Year! It’s time to nominate your favorite historic (50+ years) home or business!
In 2006, an Historic Preservation ordinance was passed with significant support from the town, only to be overturned by a technicality. As a result, historic structures that contribute to the fabric and charm of the town continue to be at risk of demolition. To celebrate Historic Preservation, we seek to honor 10 historic homes or businesses that YOU think should be honored. As Moorestown has again embarked on an effort to codify Historic Preservation, we are bringing back blue ribbons in a slightly different way: we will award 10 distinctive rosette ribbons (each displaying the Historical Society of Moorestown logo) to historic homes and businesses that have voluntarily shown excellence in Historic Preservation in one or more of the following categories:
Preservation: applies measures such as ongoing maintenance to sustain the existing features rather than replace
Restoration: removing features and additions out of character; restoring original appearance
Rehabilitation: make possible a new compatible use with minimal change to historic features
Reconstruction: new construction of a non-surviving historic structure on its original site
Maintenance: keeping a historical property in tip-top condition
Adaptive reuse: for example, turn a house into an inn with minimal changes to historic features
Last year, structures that fit the criteria were nominated and awarded by Historical Society Board Members. This year we are opening nominations to the public. Board members will vote by shared document for their top 10 picks. The top 10 structures (those receiving the most votes) will be awarded weather resistant ribbons to be proudly displayed on their building, storefront etc. Winners will be notified by mail, and will be celebrated with posts on our website and social media platforms. We will host a cocktail reception and ribbon presentation at Smith-Cadbury Mansion in early spring.
This is a yearly tradition to recognize and commend stewards of our historic structures. We sincerely thank caretakers for preserving the essence of Moorestown for future generations. By the way, did you know that saving historic buildings is recycling on a massive scale? Try to imagine the landfill space that is needed to receive an entire home when it is demolished! Then imagine the trees that are cut down and the fossil fuels released into the atmosphere to process them and truck their byproducts to a homesite! Sustainability begins with saving, preserving and updating historic structures!
“The greenest building is the one already built!”
Please email the address of your nomination to moorestownhistory@comcast.net by February 14th, 2025.
Feel free to forward this email to any Moorestown resident.
To read about last year’s Blue Ribbon ceremony in our newsletter click here. To see photos at our Instagram click here.
Last year’s winners:
1 West Main Street (Bayada Home Health Care), Mark & Ann Baiada
2 East Main Street (Chateau de Main/French Press), the Benson Family
65 East Main Street (Moore Bagels), JVS Properties
149 East Main Street, Timothy Faroul Jr. & Lauren Virone
223 East Main Street, Jeffrey & Hollie Hilzinger
131 East Main Street (Caryn & Co.), Caryn Procaccini
404 East Main Street, Elizabeth Johnson
1 West 2nd Street, Dawn Medley & Troy Wymore
417 East 2nd Street, William & Pamela Cossaboon
845 Golf View Road (Malcolm Wells House), John & Kathryn Shields
