Groups fighting to save Ridgewood’s Schedler house

Members of the grassroots organization Ridgewood Eastside Development (RED) have been tackling the potential development of the Schedler property from various angles, with safety and planning taking the forefront. But the future of the site's most notable feature, the 1830s-style Dutch wood frame home, is drawing extra attention from the group as well as others outside of the area.

MARION BROWN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Ridgewood Council has started its discussions on future development of the Schedler property and the potential uses of the nearly 200-year-old house at the site.

Historians date the construction of the home's main section to the 1830s, though the existing kitchen wing might have predated 1825. The four separate parcels at the Schedler tract, in fact, played site to a Revolutionary battle and have yielded artifacts from that time.

Despite its seemingly historic significance, the house was not included in the discussions and the subsequent county grant application that Ridgewood filed as it was acquiring the property in 2009.

"The original discussion with the governing body was about adding to the open space inventory and a look toward active recreation at the time. It was also understood to put it into inventory because there was no money at the time," said Councilman Tom Riche, the council representative to the Open Space Committee.

Two conceptual baseball field proposals that have emerged in recent months for the Schedler site indicate no further use of the home, suggesting its demolition. That notion has raised both fear and anger among RED members, who claim its unique character and rare construction are a treasure to the town. Hoping to preserve the home, RED has been working with the Bergen County Historical Society (BCHS) and the Ridgewood Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).

The BCHS has expressed interest in using the Zabriskie-Schedler home, which was last used by Florence Smith Schedler until her death in 2007. Earlier this fall, the county group pitched to the Village of Ridgewood the idea of using the vacant structure for its library and archives, including historical manuscripts, maps, deeds, wills and books, among other items.

In an October letter from the BCHS' Board of Trustees, a copy of which was obtained by The Ridgewood News, the group indicated that it would fund an overall assessment of the home and is "willing to invest additional donations in its restoration." The historical society's board also passed a resolution declaring its desire to use the house.

But, according to board trustee and local historian Peggy Norris, the village's response to the group indicated that the proposed use of the house "was incompatible with the open space easement" that currently exists on the property. The easement suggests the building should be used either for environmental education purposes or as a complement to a sports facility, such as a field house.

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Groups fighting to save Ridgewood's Schedler house